Current Status and Prospects of the K-History Program under the “Fostering a New Wave of K-Academics” Initiative: Toward Its Consolidation as a Sustainable Global Knowledge System

This study empirically analyzes the process through which Korean history education shifts its paradigm from the inward-looking narrative of Guksa to Hanguksa oriented toward global universality, using the K-History Program under the “Fostering a New Wave of K-Academics” Initiative as a case study. To this end, the study examines the outcomes of the past five years by employing four driving forces, namely the intellectual, era-based, technical, and institutional dimensions, as its analytical framework.The results show that, at the intellectual level, a universal knowledge framework was constructed through the modularization of fifty diachronically structured thematic units and the adoption of a hybrid terminology notation system. At the era-based level, global demand catalyzed by Hallyu was addressed through the participation of overseas instructors and the implementation of localization strategies. At the technical level, a digital learning ecosystem that transcends temporal and spatial constraints was established through the use of microlearning approaches and the K-MOOC platform. At the institutional level, the role of the state was redefined from that of a simple narrator to that of a platform provider, thereby laying the foundation for sustainable knowledge dissemination.In conclusion, this study proposes that, for Korean history to become established as a sustainable global knowledge system, it is essential to advance user experience (UX)–centered platform development, achieve a balanced integration of standardization and localization, and build a framework of international collaborative governance.