The Architectural Institute of Korea (AIK) is the only academic organization on architecture in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

. Established in 1945, today AIK has more than 10,000 members. They represent architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

s, building engineer

Architectural engineering

Architectural engineering, also known as building engineering, is the application of engineering principles and technology to building design and construction...

s, researcher

Researcher

A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...

s, architecture students and teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s, and public officials.

The organization’s activities are in three different categories: academic research; information research (including four regularly published journals

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

); and, educational and public activities.

AIK is led by a governing body and has eight local chapters across Korea. Its national offices are located in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

.

AIK has special exchange agreements with allied organizations worldwide, including the Architectural Institute of Japan

Architectural Institute of Japan

The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japanese professional body for architects, building engineers, and researchers in architecture....

 (AIJ), the Architectural Society of China (ASC), and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture

Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a 501 nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education in the United States and abroad....

(ASCA) of the United States.