On February 23, 2023, the Inha K-Academic Diffusion Research Center successfully held a joint conference with the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, particular to the topic of 'Justice, Identity Politics, and Public Diplomacy'.

This international conference, co-hosted by the Inha K-Academic Diffusion Research Center and the Center for Korean Studies at UHM , and sponsored by the Academy of Korean Studies, was organized to facilitate in-depth discussions between Korean and Korean-Americal Scholars on the ways in which overseas Korean both in Korea and abroad and foreign workers are fully engaged and integrated in the society they belong. The conference also aims to connect these issues to the field of public diplomacy.

The conference started with a keynote speech by Professor Han, In Sup (Seoul National University School of Law), titled “Criminal Justice Prosecution, and Human Rights in South Korea: Forward-backward Dynamics.” Following this, there were two sessions of presentations and discussions, co-chaired by Tae-Ung Baik, Director of the Center for Korean Studies at UHM, and Jean-Young Lee, Director of the Center for International Studies at Inha University.

Under the theme of “Immigration, Migration, and Social Integratio,” the first session started with Professor Sangtu Ko’s (Yonsei University) presentation about “Social integration of foreign immigrants in the South Korean local community,” followed by Professor Hye-Kyung Lee’s (Pai Chai University) “Current Status and Issues of Migrant Worker Programs in South Korean Agriculture.” Lastly, Dr. Mihwa Park and Dr. Dongkyu Na (Inha University) addressed “Migrants, sport and physical activity, and social barriers in South Korea during COVID-19”. Panel discussion was led by Professor David Krolikoski (EALL,UHM), Professor Young-a Park (Asian Studies, UHM), and Professor Hye-ryeon Lee (Communicology, UHM).

Moving forward with the theme of "Korea and Identity Politics" for the second session, Professor Dongki Sung (Inha University) talked about an “Analysis of the improvement direction of Hangeul education for Koreans with foreign nationality residing in Korea,” While Professor Mina Yang (Chung-Ang University) illustrated “Presenting Soviet Korean Identity in Multicultural Society: Activities of Ensemble ‘CheongChun’ in Uzbekistan during 1970-80s,” Professor Seokwoo Lee (Inha University) wrap up the final presentation of the session by arguing “Dynamic Democracy, Political Transitions, and the Problem of using International Law in Korea.“ Following that, Professor Mary Kim (EALL,UHM), Professor Cheehyeong Kim (History, UHM), and Attorney Jaeyoung Lee from Young Law Group LLLC were actively involved in the discussion with thought-provoking questions and valuable comments to develop the aforemetioned research projects.

Director Lee underlined the significance of the international academic conference, saying that "On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of Korean immigration to Hawaii, I am deeply grateful that the Inha K-Academic Diffusion Research Center and the Center for Korean Studies at UHM jointly organized the international conference. I hope that today’s event would be a momentum to have the two centers develop a long-term relationship with more exchanges."