The Korea Foundation organized the 2018 Korean History Workshop for Doctoral Students at Somerset Palace Seoul in Korea from July 23 to 28. It was the second gathering after the first iteration in 2015 and was attended by 26 doctoral candidates in Korean history from 21 universities in 11 countries, including Peking University, Stanford University, Cambridge University, the National University of Singapore and the Russian State University for the Humanities.

The opening session of the workshop featured a keynote lecture by Korea University Professor and former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Kwang-shik on the Silk Road and Korean history. Other Korean history experts also delivered special lectures on various topics in Korean history, providing the next generation of Korean history scholars with a wide range of Korean history-related knowledge. Seoul National University Professor Park Tae Gyun spoke on the armistice regime and the evolution of relations among North and South Korea and the United States, USC Professor Hwang Kyung Moon on issues in modern Korean history and Yonsei University Professor Michael Kim on issues in Manchurian and Korean history.

The workshop participants made presentations on the topics of their doctoral dissertations and received mentoring advice from experts in the field, colleagues and fellow students. In addition, they visited relevant organizations, such as the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies and the National Institute of Korean History, to learn how to access Korean history research materials and acquire information on grant programs in Korean history administered by each organization. They also made a two-day trip to provincial areas to visit major places of importance in modern Korean history, including Gunsan, the May 18th National Cemetery and the South Jeolla Provincial Government Building, thereby enhancing their practical understanding of contemporary Korea.