KNDA

Welcome to the Korea National Diplomatic Academy! The Academy, since the establishment of the Educational Institute of Foreign Service Officers (EIFSO) on September 3, 1963, with the ambition of promoting world peace and national prosperity, has nurtured foreign policy and national security strategies and elite diplomats over the last six decades. As 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the Academy, its most important mission should be to transform itself into the unrivaled national institution in the fields of research, education and public diplomacy.

Drastic changes in an international security environment surrounding Korea pose numerous challenges to the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. It is therefore of utmost importance to develop and share national strategies and foreign policies which can manage and lead these changes. To this end, the Academy will enhance interactions and cooperation with diplomats, professionals, experts and media at home and abroad. That will help the Academy strengthen its identity as a source of creative foreign policy options.

Nurturing top-notch diplomats has been one of the KNDA’s core missions from the beginning. Through innovations in education and instruction courses, the Academy will train promising candidates into elite diplomats who can meet the public’s expectation and lead the nation to a brighter future.

Public diplomacy has been one of the main pillars of the Academy’s activities. It will strengthen intellectual, personal and organizational networks with the United States, China, Japan, Russia, Europe and beyond. The Academy will make its best efforts to publicize Korea’s national strategies and policy alternatives to the global intellectual community in a persuasive manner, and thus foster a positive attitude towards Korea’s diplomacy. That will re-engineer the Academy as an outpost of the Korean public diplomacy.

I imagine that, someday, people say “Anyone who envisions the future of the Korean diplomacy need to look no further than the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.” That day won’t come tomorrow, but we can begin today. Your attention to and support for our efforts to make the Academy Korea’s best idea tank will always be highly appreciated.

Thank you. Chancellor Park Cheol Hee