2027 Korea Foundation Field Research Fellowship: Up to Six Months of Funded Research in Korea
The Korea Foundation supports overseas Korean studies scholars and researchers with a one-to-six-month period of field research in Korea, monthly stipends, insurance, and limited travel assistance.
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2027 Korea Foundation Field Research Fellowship: Up to Six Months of Funded Research in Korea
The Korea Foundation (KF) is accepting applications for its 2027 Field Research Fellowship, supporting scholars based outside Korea who need to conduct on-site research there. The award is intended for Korean studies and related work in the humanities, social sciences, culture, and arts. A closely Korea-connected topic in an emerging area may also fit when its relevance is clear.
This residential fellowship funds one to six months of archival, interview, collection, institutional, or other fieldwork in Korea, followed by an academic outcome. Applicants need a Korean scholar and host institution and must arrange accommodation; KF does not provide a host or housing.
The application deadline is October 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Korea Standard Time; references are due October 19 at 6:00 p.m. KST. Research must take place in 2027, last one to six months, and begin by November 30. This is not a twelve-month award.
Key details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | 2027 KF Fellowship for Field Research |
| Provider | The Korea Foundation |
| Purpose | On-site research in Korea and access to relevant research resources |
| Eligible applicant groups | Overseas doctoral candidates and qualifying faculty, researchers, or professionals |
| Fields | Korean studies and related humanities, social sciences, culture, arts, and significant Korea-related research |
| Fellowship period | One to six months in 2027; start no later than November 30 |
| Monthly support | KRW 2,300,000 for Type A; KRW 3,000,000 for Type B |
| Other support | Travel insurance, one-time entry support, and airfare for eligible countries of residence under the call rules |
| Application deadline | October 14, 2026, 6:00 p.m. KST |
| Reference deadline | October 19, 2026, 6:00 p.m. KST |
| Results | Expected in December 2026 |
| How to apply | Submit through the KF Application Portal |
| Official application notice | https://apply.kf.or.kr/selectNoticeAndApplicationView.nkf?anucNo=A1P0001006&pageIndex=1 |
| General program information | https://www.kf.or.kr/kfEng/cm/cntnts/cntntsView.do?cntntsId=1677&mi=2222 |
What the fellowship funds
The program funds a one-to-six-month research stay in Korea during 2027. Activities may include consulting collections, examining records or cultural materials, interviews, observation, and collaboration with a Korea-based scholar. Explain why the work requires being in Korea rather than at the home institution.
Monthly stipends depend on applicant type. Type A doctoral candidates receive KRW 2,300,000 per month. Type B fellows receive KRW 3,000,000 per month. The notice also lists travel insurance during the Korea stay and a one-time entry payment: KRW 500,000 for doctoral candidates, KRW 1,000,000 for PhD holders, and KRW 1,500,000 for tenured associate or full professors. Where more than one category applies, the notice says the applicant receives the more favorable applicable amount. Applicants should rely on the current notice and their classification rather than extrapolating benefits from older KF calls.
Round-trip economy airfare by the shortest route is available only to fellows whose country of residence meets the call’s stated OECD Development Assistance Committee criteria. The 2027 notice excludes upper-middle-income countries from the covered DAC group; it identifies least-developed countries, other low-income countries, and lower-middle-income countries as eligible categories. Since the rule is based on the country of residence and the list used at the call deadline, applicants should check the current notice and its attachment rather than assume citizenship alone determines airfare eligibility.
KF does not provide housing. Applicants must arrange accommodation and research facilities with their affiliate and budget local costs when choosing the fellowship period.
Who the fellowship is for
KF organizes individual applicants into two types. Type A is for doctoral candidates who have completed required coursework and are writing their dissertation. The project should show how the research stay advances the dissertation and uses the time in Korea productively.
Type B is for university professors at the rank of full-time lecturer or above, and for researchers or professionals who hold a doctorate. Make the applicant’s current role, research record, and capacity to complete the work easy to assess.
Applicants must study or work outside Korea and hold foreign citizenship or permanent residence. Korean nationals need citizenship or permanent residence in another country. This is a research visit, not a route to a Korean degree or language course.
Research areas and project fit
The call favors a substantive Korea connection. It includes Korean studies and related humanities, social sciences, culture, and arts. Comparative work can fit when Korea is central to the question. KF also allows important new areas requiring close cooperation with Korea when the value is explained.
The Foundation’s general description excludes natural science, engineering, and medical science as a rule, while allowing a closely connected interdisciplinary project that combines such a field with Korean studies or humanities, social sciences, culture, or arts. This should be treated as a narrow exception, not an invitation to submit an otherwise unrelated technical project. If a proposal crosses disciplinary lines, identify the Korea-related question and explain why the collaboration, materials, or setting in Korea are necessary to answer it.
A persuasive project plan links each activity to an output. State which sources, people, collections, or sites you will consult, what question each can answer, and how results will fit into a dissertation, article, or book. Show what will be completed before arrival: current guidance expects the literature review to be done at home so the stay can focus on fieldwork and writing.
Eligibility and restrictions to check
Before preparing attachments, compare your situation with the current call. The core checks include:
- Your study or work is based outside Korea, and your research is within the call’s Korea-related remit.
- You fit Type A as a doctoral candidate who has completed coursework and is writing a dissertation, or Type B as a full-time lecturer or higher, or as a researcher or professional with a doctorate.
- You hold foreign citizenship or permanent residence. Korean nationals need qualifying foreign citizenship or permanent residence.
- Your proposed period is one to six months, falls within 2027, and begins no later than November 30, 2027.
- You can secure a Korean affiliate scholar and host institution, arrange accommodation and research facilities, and complete the required academic work.
The call excludes applicants who would begin the fellowship immediately after a continuous period of study or research activity in Korea. It also excludes those who received KF field-research support or field-research funding from another Korean public institution within the previous three years. A separate restriction applies to applicants who will receive support concurrently from another Korean institution during the fellowship. The current notice also rules out applications whose purpose is to improve Korean-language ability or enroll as a regular student in a Korean degree program.
Do not assume a previous international fellowship or an unrelated award has the same effect as the restrictions above. Read the notice’s actual terms and disclose relevant recent or concurrent support accurately. If a past award’s purpose or funder is unclear, ask KF before submission and retain the response with your records.
Application materials
The application calls for an online form and supporting files, including a signed curriculum vitae and a free-format research proposal of five to ten pages. A cooperative research proposal with a Korean scholar is also required; the scholar writes it, and the applicant submits it with the scholar’s signature. This collaboration demonstrates a credible academic connection and a feasible research plan in Korea.
Applicants also need two reference letters. The first is from the head of the applicant’s institution, such as a university president, dean, department chair, or institute director. The second should come from a person capable of evaluating the research proposal, such as the dissertation supervisor for a Type A applicant or an expert or professor in the applicant’s country or region for Type B. The online form sends referees a request and upload instructions, but applicants remain responsible for ensuring that letters arrive by October 19.
Other documents include proof of current employment or enrollment, graduate-school transcripts for the MA and PhD, a copy of the most recently obtained degree, and a coursework-completion certificate for Type A applicants. Follow the live portal’s attachment instructions, prepare legible scans, and check names, dates, and affiliations across the packet.
All application documents must be in Korean or English. For a document in another language, the call asks for the original and a verbatim translation. Leave time to obtain any official records and translations; do not plan to assemble the complete packet on the final day.
Timeline and submission route
The application window opened on August 19, 2026 and closes at 6:00 p.m. KST on October 14. Reference letters close five days later, at 6:00 p.m. KST on October 19. The Foundation warns that heavy system traffic can cause problems near closing time and does not guarantee acceptance when late submission results from a technical error. Submit the application early enough to correct portal or upload issues.
Results are expected in December 2026, but the date may change. The research period must occur from January 1 through December 31, 2027. It cannot exceed six months, and the proposed start date must be no later than November 30. KF may adjust a proposed schedule following review, so avoid commitments that depend on a particular start date until the award terms are confirmed.
Apply through the KF Application Portal, using the individual application for the 2027 Field Research Fellowship. Read the full current application notice before submission. For program questions, the general KF field-research page lists the Fellowships Department contact at [email protected]; use the portal’s Help Desk for technical problems.
Preparing a strong research proposal
Start with a research question, its Korea connection, and the contribution the project will make. Specify what you will do in Korea and what the host scholar or institution enables. Make the line from question to method, local resources, and scholarly outcome easy to follow.
Use the five-to-ten-page limit to show feasibility. A month-by-month schedule should name activities and outputs, distinguish preparation from work requiring Korea-based access, and account for possible changes in interview, archive, or facility access. Match the proposed duration to the amount of work: six months requires a correspondingly substantial plan.
Choose a Korean affiliate whose expertise fits the work. Confirm that the scholar agrees with the plan and can provide a signed document before submitting; KF does not assign affiliates.
Connect the support to an achievable result. Type A applicants should show how the fieldwork advances the dissertation; Type B applicants should identify a realistic research output and the work needed to complete it. Describe the steps you control rather than guaranteeing peer-review outcomes.
Common mistakes to avoid
A common weakness is a general Korea connection. Name the materials, setting, collaborators, or participants that make a research stay in Korea necessary.
Another risk is an unconfirmed affiliation. The applicant must secure a scholar and host institution; KF does not make that match. Start outreach early and attach the cooperative research plan.
Keep the two deadlines separate: the application is due October 14, while references are due October 19. Send requests early and confirm that recommenders can use the portal link.
Avoid proposing more than six months, starting after November 30, overlooking self-arranged housing, assuming universal airfare, or missing the prior and concurrent support restrictions. Check dates and attachments against the live notice.
Frequently asked questions
Can applicants outside Korea apply?
Yes. This fellowship is for eligible scholars and researchers studying or working outside Korea. Applicants must also meet the relevant citizenship or permanent-residence rule.
Does KF provide housing or find a host scholar?
No. Fellows must arrange accommodation and research facilities with their affiliated institution, and applicants must secure a Korean affiliate scholar and host institution. KF does not provide housing or recommend potential affiliates.
How long can the fieldwork last?
Between one and six months. It must take place during 2027 and start by November 30, 2027.
Is airfare included for every fellow?
No. Round-trip economy airfare is limited to fellows residing in qualifying countries under the OECD DAC categories stated in the call. Confirm the current list and rule in the official notice.
Can a researcher outside a traditional Korean-studies department apply?
Potentially. The subject must still be Korea-related and fit the call’s academic scope. A cross-disciplinary project needs to explain the Korea connection and why research cooperation or on-site work in Korea is important.
When are results announced?
The current call expects to notify applicants in December 2026. KF says the schedule may change, so check the portal for updates.
Official links and next steps
- 2027 KF Fellowship for Field Research application notice
- KF Field Research Fellowship program information
- KF Application Portal
The next practical step is to verify your Type A or Type B classification, confirm that the research topic and planned dates fit the call, and contact a Korean affiliate scholar immediately. Then request references with the October 19 deadline in writing, gather proof of enrollment or employment and degree records, and draft the proposal around specific work that only a Korea-based stay can accomplish.