On September 22, the Institute of Russian Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES) at Georgetown University in the United States to promote academic collaboration.

This agreement marks a significant step toward strengthening scholarly exchange and cooperation between the two institutions in the fields of Eurasian, Russian, and East European studies.

Professor Michael David-Fox, Director of Georgetown’s CERES and a historian, had previously visited HUFS on June 5, where he held a book talk on his recent publication, Crucibles of Power: Smolensk under Stalinist and Nazi Rule (Harvard University Press, 2025), which explores wartime experiences in the Smolensk region of the Soviet Union during World War II. During that visit, both institutes discussed potential areas of collaboration and the possibility of establishing a formal partnership.

The signing of this MOU represents the realization of that earlier discussion, paving the way for future academic exchanges, joint research projects, and collaborative events between the two institutions.