THE NATION’S OLDEST KOREAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
TO LEARN, TO SEARCH, TO SERVE
Since our founding, East Rock Institute has been dedicated to bridging cultures, innovating cross-cultural research, and inspiring the next generation of global leaders.
We provide intercultural experiences that promote self-discovery, authentic leadership and service to others for the next generation of those tied to Korea by birth, marriage, adoption, and choice.
OUR STORY
We were founded in 1952 (initially as the Korea Institute) in Cambridge, Massachusetts by the husband-and-wife team of Kwang Lim Koh and Hesung Chun Koh. After leaving Cambridge for New Haven, the Koh family moved the institution with them, renaming it the East Rock Institute in reference to a New Haven landmark.
In the years since our founding, we have broadened our scope to include comparative East Asian and Korean diasporic studies, increasing international collaborations including with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of Ethnology in Japan.
We remain focused on translating and applying research for practical purposes with a special emphasis on the development of the next generation of global, culturally-competent authentic leaders.
Dr. Hesung Chun Koh, our co-founder and President Emerita of East Rock Institute, is also a noted brush painting artist. Her work has been featured in solo exhibits in Kyoto, Seoul, and Connecticut.
