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Academia Sinica President Chien-Jen Chen met with Dr. Hwang Jaeho, the newly appointed Representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei, on August 7. The two exchanged views on academic, scientific, and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea, science and technology policymaking, and opportunities for future collaboration. Both expressed hope for stronger ties between their academic institutions and research communities.

President Chen noted that Taiwan and South Korea have long maintained a cooperative relationship, sharing a commitment to excellence, continuous improvement, mutual support, and pragmatic cooperation. As the world faces rapid change and unprecedented challenges, the two countries have developed strong research capabilities and made significant contributions across many fields, earning growing international recognition. Looking ahead, he said that deeper exchanges between research institutions would further strengthen the partnership between Taiwan and South Korea, enabling both sides to address future challenges through closer collaboration. Dr. Hwang agreed with President Chen's remarks, describing Taiwan and South Korea's relationship as a form of "good competition" that benefits both societies.

Though he assumed his post in July, Dr. Hwang has longstanding ties with Taiwan. Thirty-eight years ago, he studied in the Department of Oriental Languages at the Chinese Culture University before earning his Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research has focused on East Asian international politics, Korea–China relations, and regional security. Dr. Hwang also recalled that he had previously visited Academia Sinica 14 years ago to present a paper and deliver a lecture at the Institute of European and American Studies during an academic conference, making this visit especially meaningful to him. President Chen welcomed him back warmly, noting that they both come from academia and expressed his hope that they would continue working together to strengthen academic and research exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea.

Dr. Hwang further observed that, in the era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI), the importance of the humanities and social sciences continues to grow. Technological innovation must also be guided by humanistic perspectives and social insight. President Chen shared this view and suggested that Academia Sinica's broad research strengths could help Taiwan and South Korea deepen the philosophical and intellectual foundations of AI development.

In recent years, Academia Sinica has steadily expanded its exchanges with the South Korean academic community. Several of its institutes and research centers in the humanities and social sciences have established academic cooperation agreements with leading Korean research universities, including Seoul National University, Korea University, and Jeju National University. In 2024, the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica and the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University jointly organized an international conference. Academia Sinica also welcomes outstanding doctoral students from South Korea through its Taiwan International Graduate Program-X, which provides research opportunities at Academia Sinica for periods of one to three years.