Since its establishment in 2009, the Seoul National University Asia Center (SNUAC) has sought to explore practical and intellectual responses to the changing realities of Asia and to promote the development of Asian Studies from Asia. Through research, publication, education, and international exchange, SNUAC has worked to generate both “knowledge on Asia” and “Asian knowledge,” while advancing new ways of understanding the region in relation to pressing contemporary issues.

Building on this institutional vision, SNUAC launched the Conference on Asian Studies (SNUAC CAS) in 2025 as an annual international platform for dialogue on the changing conditions, methodologies, and futures of Asian Studies. The theme of the inaugural conference, “Mega-Asia, a New Perspective on Asia,” explored new conceptual and methodological approaches for understanding Asia as a dynamic and interconnected space. The 2026 SNUAC Conference on Asian Studies continues this effort by turning attention to one of the most urgent dimensions of contemporary regional transformation: the question of borders, mobility, and human movement in an age of multi-crisis.