Kyunghee University Smart Tourism Research Institute Guides Researchers' Career Paths

The Smart Tourism Research Institute at Kyunghee University College of Hotel and Tourism Management is emerging as a stronghold for the next generation of academics.

Researchers appointed as faculty members domestically and internationally after working at Kyung Hee University Smart Tourism Research Center. From the left in the photo, Professors Sung Eun Kang, Jung Hyun Kim, Jukyung Kwon, Juyeon Ham, and Taewhee Eom. Kyung Hee University

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In academia today, the period following the completion of a doctorate is no longer seen as a simple transitional stage. It is now recognized as a critical phase in which researchers define their academic direction and depth, and build the core competencies necessary to establish themselves as independent scholars.

The Smart Tourism Research Institute serves as a solid foundation for next-generation researchers by providing the power to continue research, knowledge that expands through collaboration, and an academic network connected to the world.

Since its establishment in 2013, the Smart Tourism Research Institute at Kyunghee University College of Hotel and Tourism Management has led large-scale studies that have reshaped the landscape of tourism studies.

The institute has successfully carried out the Social Science Korea (SSK) project of the National Research Foundation of Korea across small, medium, and large-scale phases over a period of ten years, and consecutively undertook major government-funded projects such as the seven-year BK21 Phase 4 Educational Innovation Program.

By realizing a long-term and systematic academic vision, the institute has demonstrated its capabilities.

The achievements of the institute have extended beyond the success of a single institution, contributing to the creation of a new academic ecosystem.

The institute founded the Korea Smart Tourism Society, opening up new avenues for domestic academic discourse, and launched the English international journal 'Journal of Smart Tourism (JST)', which was elevated this year to a Scopus-indexed journal, a globally recognized citation index.

It also hosts the annual 'World Conference on Smart Tourism (WCST)', now in its fourth year, firmly establishing Kyunghee University College of Hotel and Tourism Management as a global hub for smart tourism studies.

This world-class academic ecosystem has become an outstanding incubator, nurturing affiliated researchers into scholars of excellence.

The institute’s talent cultivation extends beyond Korea and reaches leading universities around the world.

Many researchers have been appointed as faculty at renowned international universities, including Sunyoung Lee, Professor at Beijing Institute of Technology; Kyungmin Lee, Professor at Shandong University; Hanna Lee, Professor at University of New Hampshire; Oh Jeong, Professor at Hainan University of Science and Technology; and Seunghoon Shin, Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Additionally, Juyoung Kim, postdoctoral researcher at Copenhagen Business School; Yerin Lee, postdoctoral researcher at American University of Sharjah; and Eunji Lee, research professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, are at the forefront of global academia, further demonstrating the institute’s international influence.

Namho Jeong and Cheolmo Koo, Professors at Kyunghee University College of Hotel and Tourism Management, said, "We aimed to systematically support researchers in preparing the qualifications needed to become independent scholars, such as publishing in top-tier journals, engaging in global networking, and carrying out large-scale projects in the increasingly competitive environment after earning a doctorate," adding, "The Smart Tourism Research Institute will strive to go beyond being a mere space for accumulating achievements and become an advanced base that establishes future academic identities and contributes to the global knowledge society."

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