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Korean Studies: Home

A guide to resources for Korean Studies

Featured Database

The Harold B. Lee Library now provides access to three excellent databases for finding scholarly articles in Korean:

 

DBpia Database of Academic Articles in Korean www.dbpia.co.kr 

DBpia is a multidisciplinary database of full-text journal articles published by major South Korean research institutions. There are over 1900 journal titles and more than 1.9 million Korean articles included. Some resources are available in English.

 

KRpia Database www.krpia.co.kr

KRpia is a full-text database including primary sources and full-text archival material on Korean history, literature, medicine, religion, etc. and reference works and such as dictionaries and encyclopedias.

 

KCI Korean Journal Database

The KCI Korean Journal Database on the Web of Science platform provides access to over 1.4 million articles from more than 2,500 multidisciplinary journals in Korean and English. Coverage includes: Arts & Humanities​, History​, Business, Science, Engineering, Technology, and more. Coverage goes back to 1980.

To access the database, navigate to Web of Science, click on the "Search in Web of Science Core Collection" menu and select "KCI Korean Journal Database." Many full-text articles are available, for those that are not available click on the "Get it @ BYU" link or request the article through Interlibrary Loan 


North Korean News

NK News (North Korean News) is an independent, privately owned English language specialist site on North Korea. NK News has no affiliation to any political organization or country.

Finding Secondary Scholarship & Primary Sources

A List of Useful Databases for Finding Scholarly Articles

Use the databases listed below to search for scholarly articles on your research topic.  Hovering over the "info" icon  will reveal detailed information about each database. For some very helpful tips on how to conduct a successful database search, click Here.

TIP: Use multiple databases when searching for articles related to your research project as each database has different coverage and unique features.


For scholarship published in the Korean language, consult these databases:

DBpia Database www.dbpia.co.kr 

KRpia Database www.krpia.co.kr


Scholarly Journals About Korea

The Journal of Korean Studies (1979–present)

Click the link to reveal access options: For most recent issues, click "Duke University Press." For access to older issues, click "JSTOR Complete."

The earliest issues (1969–1971) can be accessed here.

 

Acta Koreana (2012–present)

International Journal of Korean Studies (2000–present) Open Source

Journal of Northeast Asian Studies (2004–present) [ISSN: 1976-3735] You can access the tables of contents for all issues by clicking the journal title. You then will need to order any desired articles through HBLL Inter Library Loan.


Library Resources about Korea, Committee on Korean Studies (Association for Asian Studies)


Additional Research Help

For additional help, try these excellent resources from the BYU Library:


Subject Specific Databases

The Korea Society is a private nonprofit organization based in New York City that is dedicated to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea.

The library provides access to three excellent databases for finding scholarly articles in Korean:

 

DBpia Database www.dbpia.co.kr 

DBpia is a multidisciplinary database of full-text journal articles published by major South Korean research institutions. There are over 1900 journal titles and more than 1.9 million Korean articles included. Some resources are available in English.

 

KRpia Database www.krpia.co.kr

KRpia is a full-text database including primary sources and full-text archival material on Korean history, literature, medicine, religion, etc. and reference works and such as dictionaries and encyclopedias.

 

KCI Korean Journal Database

The KCI Korean Journal Database on the Web of Science platform provides access to over 1.4 million articles from more than 2,500 multidisciplinary journals in Korean and English. Coverage includes: Arts & Humanities​, History​, Business, Science, Engineering, Technology, and more. To access the database, navigate to Web of Science, click on the "Search in Web of Science Core Collection" menu and select "KCI Korean Journal Database." Many full-text articles are available, for those that are not available click on the "Get it @ BYU" link or request the article through Interlibrary Loan 

North Korean News

NK News (North Korean News) is an independent, privately owned English language specialist site on North Korea. NK News has no affiliation to any political organization or country.


Joins North Korean Net [Joins 풐한너투] (North Korean News in Korean).


Korean News (Mostly South Korea)

              - Full-text Korean newspaper article database offering

              - Tonga ilbo 東亞日報 = Dong-A ilbo : 1920-1999

              - Kyŏnghyang sinmun 京鄕新聞 = Kyunghyang Shinmun : 1946-1999

              - Maeil kyŏngje sinmun 每日經濟新聞 = Maeil Business Newspaper : 1966-1999

              - Han’gyŏre 한겨레 = The Hankyoreh : 1988-1999

ProQuest Global Newsstream enables users to search the most recent global news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring content from newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text format. This product provides one of the largest collections of news from the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. All titles are cross-searchable on the ProQuest platform allowing researchers easy access to multiple perspectives, resources, and languages on the topic they are researching.0


Free access to the current issue of the New York Times is available to BYU students and faculty. You will need to create a free account using your  @byu.edu email address. To access news about Korea, type "Korea" In the search box of the NYT homepage.


Influential Newspapers Current Issues and Archives


Korean Film Archive  A dedicated YouTube channel for Korean film. You will find Korean films from 1930s to present, available for free.


Kanopy partners with public libraries and universities to stream thoughtful entertainment to your preferred device with no fees and no commercials. Click the logo above and log in with your BYU NetID to enjoy Kanopy's diverse catalog with new titles added every month. You can search for films on Asian topics and in Asian languages.

ProQuest's Alexander Street is the world’s leading provider of academic streaming media to libraries. They have partnered with top video producers around the world to deliver more than 60,000 video titles across all disciplines. They are particularly strong in the fields of anthropology, history, diversity studies, theatre, film, music, dance, news, current affairs, and the social sciences. For video related to Asian Studies, click Here.

FRONTLINE produces works of investigative journalism that both question and explain complicated and controversial aspects of our modern world. Frontline has been one of American television’s top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983. They have won every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 91 Emmy Awards and 22 Peabody Awards. You can watch more than 200 documentaries online, for free, any time.

Extensive collection of streamable documentary video. Maintained by Infobase.

Websites

North Korean News

NK News (North Korean News) is an independent, privately owned English language specialist site on North Korea. NK News has no affiliation to any political organization or country.


38 North • Stimson Center

38 North covers not only North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, but digs beneath the surface of political, economic, social and other developments. North Korea is not a hermit kingdom, but rather a country that has been in the throes of change, good and bad, for over a decade. Those changes have important implications for the Korean peninsula, the East Asian region and the international community.

38 North strives as much as possible for ideological balance, publishing opposing opinions, and utilizes various technologies to analyze military, economic, social and other developments north of the DMZ. While it is an American-based project, it draws on experts from around the world to provide international perspectives as well.


40 Maps that Explain North Korea (2018)

North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is also one of the most misunderstood countries in the world. This site uses a lot of maps (and a few charts), to provide some clarity and context to help better understand both the country and the Korean Conflict. It explores where the North Korean regime came from, how much of a threat it really poses to the United States and its allies, and what life is like there.

 

Other Websites for Korean Studies

Online Korean Language Study Applications

Beginning Korean 1

A free, open access, downloadable Korean language textbook produced by University of Iowa faculty Sang-Seok Yoon, Jyoung-A Park, and Jeehae Yoo.

Click here for the accompanying audio files.

Click here for the accompanying Activity Book.


BYU subscribes to two very good applications for learning Korean (and numerous other languages) at your own speed. Click below to explore.

 

Mango is a language learning software database BYU students can use to supplement coursework, maintain and improve language skills, or learn a new language in ways that can be playful and fun. This includes language learning through movies, poetry and music. You can engage with the computer and improve pronunciation through speech-recognition software.


- With over 70 different languages from Arabic to Yiddish -
After connecting to the database using the link above, sign up for your own individual account.
Then log in, choose your level of language proficiency and conversational topic, and enjoy your language-learning experience!

Look for the option below the login boxes to explore the site as a guest.

You can explore the site as a guest or create a free account to save progress.

Type Korean into the "Pick a Language" box to see what resources are available.


You can also get a Mango APP for your handheld device.


Pronunciator Language Software

Pronunciator  is a language learning software database BYU students can use to supplement coursework, maintain and improve language skills, or just learn a new language in ways that can be playful and fun. This includes language learning (for the most common languages) through movies, poetry and music -- and a virtual tutor. You can engage with the computer and improve pronunciation through speech-recognition software.

 

With 80 different languages from Afrikaans to Welsh

Try it with "instant access" then type Korean in the "I want to learn _________." box.

 

After connecting to the database using the link above, sign up for your own individual account to save your progress, then log in, choose your level of language proficiency and conversational topic, and enjoy your language-learning experience!


Once you are a registered user, you can go directly to 
www.pronunciator.com

PLUS you can get a Pronunciator APP for your handheld device.

Websites for learning about North and South Korea

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights 북한인권정보센터

Information Center on North Korea 북한자료센터 provides extensive information resources on North Korea presented by the Ministry of Unification. Included are links to North Korean films, text books, comics, and much more. It also provides a portal, entitled Bukhan Chongbo Potal (북한정보포털).

Institute of North Korean Studies 북한연구소 provides information on North Korea and unification. Included is information about NK, bibliographical information of books and serials, streaming, photos, and so on.

Ministry of Unification 통일부

North Korean Encyclopedia 북한백과 this information blog on North Korea developed by KBS provides information on the North Korean people, NK economics, arts, geography, and much more.

North Korea Human Geography 북한지역 정보넷 provides a comprehensive database with these categories: administraive distric information; natural geographical information; human geographical information; treasures and cultural properties; biographical information; folk culture; and multimedia

North Korea International Documentation Project 

Pukhan net 북한네트 provided by the Chungang Ilbosa, this website contains detailed information on North Korea including current news, politics, economics, and much more.

The South-North Dialogue 남북회담본부 provides records and minutes about the dialogues between South Korea and North Korea.

UNIL/W 통일법제 데이터베이스 a full text database which includes law information regarding unification and the relationship between South and North Korea.

Uriminjokkiri 우리민족끼리 provides North Korean news from North Korea's Central News Agency. The contents include current news, the Korean Democratic Party, press releases, articles, literature, arts (movies, music) newspapers (Nodong Sinmun), etc.

Asian Studies Librarian

Profile Photo
Tim Davis
Contact:
I am happy to meet with you in person or virtually to help you with any research questions.

Office: 5449 HBLL
Phone: 801-422-4061

Asian Collection 4th Floor Map (Click to Enlarge)

Get Help

Humanities Reference
Level 5
Hours: M-Th: 8am-9pm; 
F: 8am-6pm; Sat:10am-6pm

801.422.4006
humref@byu.edu

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Call Number Guide

Those who Browse the Stacks always discover additional research materials!

All books published in Asian languages are located on the 4th Floor in the Asian Collection.

English materials on Asian topics are located in different parts of the library as noted below.

If you have trouble finding a book, ask the Asian Studies Librarian or inquire at any library help desk.

AC-AE Collections, Encyclopedias (1st Floor, Social Science Reference)

BL 1900 Daoism (2nd Floor, Religion & Family History Library)

BQ Buddhism (2nd Floor, Religion & Family History Library)

BR-BX Christianity (2nd Floor, Religion & Family History Library)

DS Asian History (1st Floor, Social Science Library)     

      DS 400-485 India

      DS 700–799 China

      DS 800–899 Japan

      DS 900–940 Korea

G 1019-2357 Maps

GR 335-340 Fables, Myths, Legends, Folklore (1st Floor, Social Science Library)

GR 342-GT  Customs (1st Floor, Social Science Library)

GV 1100-1400 Martial arts, games

HC 427-470 Economic conditions

HN-HQ  Society

J Politics and Government (1st Floor, Central Stacks)

      JZ 1730-1734 Chinese

      JZ 1745 Japanese

      JZ 1748 Korean

K Law

M Music

N Arts & Crafts (5th Floor, North Stacks)

   NB 1912 Buddhist Sculpture

   ND 1060 Korean Art

PL Asian Languages and Literatures (5th Floor, North Stacks)

   PL 501-845 Japanese

   PL 901-949 Korean

   PL 1001-3300 Chinese

Q Science

R  Medicine

S  Agriculture

T Technology

U Military science

Z Libraries