Dr Emma Campbell talks about her research on North Korea and argues that Australia still lacks sufficient academic, linguistic, commercial or cultural expertise on Korea. She considers such expertise to be essential if Australia is to understand the opportunities and challenges attached to this close relationship.

"I am passionate about the Korean peninsula. South Korea's social, economic and political achievements and its extraordinary dynamism makes Korea a fascinating country to research. Moreover, the importance of the Australia-Korea relationship brings added value and satisfaction to my work. My current research project entitled "The Korean peninsula in Australia's future: Developing Australian expertise on North Korean humanitarian and non-traditional security challenges" has been generously funded by the Australia-Korea Foundation. The project aims at understanding the possible challenges posed to Australia and the wider region from the ongoing instability in North Korea. In developing this knowledge, my research aims to make a small contribution to the debate on how these threats can be mitigated. In particular, I examine the value of bilateral and multilateral humanitarian and development aid in North Korea."

Read Dr Emma Campbell's full article, 'The Korean peninsula in Australia's future'.

A key priority for the Australia-Korea Foundation's 2015-16 grant round is to support Australians develop language and cross-cultural skills to effectively engage with Korea and deepen understanding of Korean society, politics and economy.