Korea
Korea is expanding its role as a regional partner for innovation, technical leadership, and knowledge exchange, and lasting progress requires sustained investment in digital skills, workforce readiness, and collaboration across Asia and the Pacific.
We work with government, businesses, universities, and nonprofit organizations to strengthen regional partnerships, expand digital skills, support innovation, and share Korean expertise across the region. Building on more than 70 years of partnership, we connect Korean institutions with regional development priorities, helping translate innovation, knowledge, and experience into practical solutions that create lasting impact across Asia and the Pacific.
Impact
Development cooperation practitioners trained
Government, civil society, academia, and private sector leaders have expanded their knowledge and networks to strengthen regional development cooperation.
Small business owners and entrepreneurs strengthened their cybersecurity awareness
Micro, small, and medium enterprises have built foundational cybersecurity skills to participate more safely in the digital economy.
Young people equipped with future-ready digital skills
High school and university students have gained technical and professional skills for emerging careers in Korea’s growing digital economy.
Women and North Korean-born entrepreneurs supported
Entrepreneurs have strengthened business skills, networks, and market opportunities to build more resilient enterprises.
FEATURED PROGRAM
Preparing Korea’s Digital Workforce
Featured Programs
Strengthening Cybersecurity for Small Businesses
As more small enterprises adopt digital tools to grow their businesses and the nation’s economy, they are also encountering news risks and vulnerabilities. Supported by Google.org, the APAC Cybersecurity Fund helps micro, small, and medium enterprises strengthen cybersecurity awareness and practices while expanding the country’s future cyber workforce.
Supporting North Korean-Born Entrepreneurs
North Korean-born entrepreneurs often encounter barriers to business development, professional networks, and market participation in South Korea. We work with local partners to strengthen entrepreneurial skills, expand market access, and build long-term business resilience. Combining business mentoring, networking, coaching, and market engagement, the initiative helps entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses while supporting greater economic participation and social integration.
Strengthening Regional Development Cooperation
As Korea’s role in international development continues to expand, demand is growing for stronger partnerships, knowledge exchange, and practical learning across Asia and the Pacific. The International Development Cooperation Capacity Building program addressed this demand by improving the capabilities of development practitioners through fellowships, study visits, policy dialogues, and regional exchanges. By working with government, academia, civil society, and development partners, the program helped more than 1,100 practitioners strengthen regional networks, deepen policy knowledge, and contribute to more effective international cooperation.
Advancing Survivor-Centered Responses to Violence
Korea partnered with TAF to strengthen prevention and support for survivors of trafficking and violence against women. Based on TAF’s long-standing work in Mongolia, the initiative worked with government institutions and local partners to strengthen institutional capacity, improve victim support services, and contribute to reforms that better protect survivors. The program reached more than 9,300 people through prevention activities while helping establish national guidelines that shifted legal systems toward more survivor-centered approaches.
Latest Thinking
North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea’s Hidden Potential
Report
Changing Landscape of Development Cooperation Amidst and Beyond Covid-19 in Asia
Study
Firm Partners In An Unstable Region: Prospects for Trilateral Cooperation between the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Australia
What a Clean Energy Future Demands: A Massive Shift in Critical Minerals and Global Supply Chains
Read More on Korea
The Asia Foundation Advocates for Collaborative Approach Ahead of 2025 APEC in Korea
“Way Forward for Development Cooperation and Korea for Asia” Roundtable held in South Korea
The Asia Foundation Hosts Second Australia-Republic of Korea-United States Trilateral Dialogue
South Korea: The Paradox on the Han River
Country Leadership
CONTACT US
The Asia Foundation in Korea
korea.general@asiafoundation.org
+82-2-732-2044