Overview. The Center for Korean-American and Korean Studies (CKAKS) is dedicated to serving as a focal point of Korean American and Korean studies in the Los Angeles area. It was originally established to coordinate studies on Korean culture and tradition, to compile data on the Korean-American community and its activities, to systematically analyze and document the achievements and problems of the Korean-American community, and to develop bi-cultural curriculum materials on Koreans and Korean cultural traditions. More specifically, CKAKS' main objectives have been to promote, coordinate, and conduct research and publication activities related to Korean-American and Korean studies; to sponsor conferences, seminars, symposia and exhibits; and to serve as a cultural resource and research center for the local community. Since the Center's establishment in 1979, all these objectives have been achieved.

Community Involvement. CKAKS has become a major source for the dissemination of information and research for Korean American studies, particularly in the Southern California region. Whenever major events occur that involve the Korean community (such as the 1992 Los Angeles riots), major news media (e.g., the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and numerous television networks) call upon CKAKS for expert analysis. Moreover, the founder and former director, Dr. Eui-Young Yu, has been actively involved with the local community since he joined Cal State L.A. in 1968. He served, for example, as the Chairman of the Koreatown Emergency Relief Committee in the aftermath of the 1992 riots and as past-Chairman of the Korean American Museum. Since March 2001, Dr. Yu has been directing the Korean American Coalition–Census Information Center, a community project involving analysis and dissemination of the data on the Korean-American population from the 2000 Census (KAC-CIC is one of 58 Census Information Centers officially designated by the U.S. Census Bureau). Based on his work for KAC-CIC, Dr. Yu has held a series of news conferences, many of which have resulted in front page and/or feature articles and major news items in Korean TV and newspapers, as well as in the Asian-American press. Tables and data on the Korean American population in the United States are available for downloading on our site.

Announcements

January 2007 • Professor Lim received a $27,000 grant from the Bombit Women's Foundation to study the trafficking of Korean women to the United States.

Fall 2006 • The Center would like to welcome Dr. Hyojoung Kim, Department of Sociology, to Cal State LA and to CKAKS. Dr. Kim comes to Cal State LA from the University of Washington.

July 6, 2006 • Professor Lim presented his paper on the "Smuggling and Trafficking of Korean Women to the United States" at the International Symposium on Korean Victims of Trafficking held in Seoul, Korea on July 6. Press articles on Prof. Lim's paper appeared in the Hanguk Ilbo, Munhwa Ilbo, Kyonghyang Ilbo, and Chungang Ilbo and other Korean papers. Professor Lim's research on the smuggling and trafficking of Korean women to the United States is part of a larger international research project coordinated by the International Office for Migration (IOM) Seoul office and funded by the Bombit Women's Foundation in Korea.

January 2006: Professor Timothy Lim was awarded a Fulbright Scholar's grant to conduct research and teach at Korea University in Seoul, Korea, during the 2006 academic year. Professor Lim was in Seoul from February 2006 to August 2006. Click here for more information

October 2005: Professor Lim's new book, Doing Comparative Politics: An Introduction to Approaches and Issues, was also recently published by Lynne Rienner Publishers (2005). The book is available for purchase on the publishers website and on Amazon.com.

Current Activities (2006-07)

Korean Victims of Trafficking Project • This project is designed to examine the trafficking of Korean women to the United States, Taiwan, Australia, and Japan. Professor Lim of CKAKS is one of the principal researchers on this project.

Korea and Global Migration Project • Professor Timothy and Professor Seol Dong-Hoon of Chonbuk National University are working together on the first English-language book detailing the impact of global migration on South Korea.

The Campus. California State University, Los Angeles, founded in 1947 by action of the California State Legislature, is a comprehensive university that offers programs of higher education in more than 50 academic and professional fields. The University is organized into six colleges that house nearly 50 academic departments and divisions. Cal State L.A.'s reputation as a center of learning attracts students from all areas of the United States and from many foreign countries. One quarter of Cal State L.A.'s 21,000 students are engaged in postbaccalaureate study in programs leading to master's and doctoral degrees; teaching, service, and specialist credentials; certificates; and other types of programs that prepare them for professional advancement Click here to see where the CSLA campus is located.