Koreapedia
Koreapedia is an English-language collaborative wiki and language education platform dedicated to Korean culture, history, language, society, commerce, and geography. Founded in 2025 by Korean-Australian technologist and cultural advocate Dai-Kyu "Kimbo" Kim, who envisioned a digital resource to bridge the gap between Korea and English speakers (non-Korean speakers or "NonKS") by addressing the lack of accessible, native English-language content about Korea. Koreapedia seeks to bridge language and cultural gaps by offering a platform and tools for discovery, language learning, and cross-cultural exchange.
Mission
Koreapedia will enable non-Korean speakers to contribute knowledge and insights about Korea, and meaningfully connect with Korea and Koreans by breaking down the Korean language barrier through technology-enabled discovery, engagement and collaboration.
Scope
Koreapedia aims to provide a user-friendly English-language resource that allows users to explore Korean topics in depth, learn the Korean language using topic-based context, and connect with others who share similar interests both within and outside Korea. The platform targets a diverse global audience, including Koreaphiles, overseas Koreans, Korean language learners, travellers visiting Korea, foreign residents in Korea, business professionals, and "K-wavers" (fans of Korean popular culture).
Platform Overview
Koreapedia combines a wiki, with social features to enhance engagement and learning. Its core offerings include:
- Wiki Knowledge Repository: Seeded initially with content from The Encyclopedia of Korea (1999) by Dr. Yang Hi Choe-Wall, the only Encyclopedia about Korea in English.
- AI Tools to assist "Koreapedians" with research and wiki content generation on specific topics.
- Contextual Language Learning to be launched in 2026, Content-Based Instruction thematically linked to Koreapedia.wiki articles with short courses and tandems on sister website Koreapedia.net.
- Community Features such as topic-based forums, topic-based tandem language exchanges connecting learners with native speakers, and virtual and in-person events centered around Korean culture and language.
Community and Collaboration
Koreapedia functions as a collaborative wiki, inviting enthusiasts from Korea and worldwide to contribute their knowledge and experiences. This community-driven model aligns with the principles of collaborative writing, where shared ownership and diverse perspectives can enhance the quality and depth of content. While AI tools can assist in content generation and outlining, the platform will emphasize human contribution and scrutiny, which is crucial for wiki platforms to ensure accuracy and authenticity. Koreapedia's model will rely on its community of Korea fans and Koreans to "write the narrative of Korea".
Language Learning Wiki Integration
Koreapedia will integrate language learning directly into the wiki workflow by using articles to create contextualized lessons for users to practice and acquire Korean vocabulary and phrases. This approach aligns with principles of contextual vocabulary acquisition, where learning new words is enhanced by understanding their use within a specific context. The platform aims to make language learning an engaging and social experience, leveraging shared passions among Koreapedians to facilitate practice.
Development Timeline
The platform is being developed in multiple phases, with a this beta release (August 2025) following by a crowdfunding campaign later in 2025. Future development for 2026 will expand functionality with:
- bilingual forums with topic focused sub-forums (e.g. k/KoreatownLA, k/BTS)
- AI Korean language research assistant for NonKS Koreapedian editors*
- personalised userpages* (koreapedia.wiki/me[username])
- language teaching modules*
- language tandem exchanges*
- online/offline clubs and events*
- mobile travel and booking assistant*
- rollout to Spanish, Japanese and Chinese
* indicates a paid premium service
Background and Origins
Koreapedia was inspired by Kimbo's personal journey reconnecting with his Korean heritage after immigrating to Australia as a 4 year old. Motivated by the difficulties he faced due to language loss and cultural distance, Kimbo envisioned a tool that could empower others facing similar barriers, to "Connect their Inner Korean".
Family business: the platform builds on the academic legacy of his mother, Dr. Yang Hi Choe-Wall, a noted scholar of Korean literature and a Classical Korean manuscript translator that opened western eyes to old and new Korea. She is the author of The Encyclopedia of Korea (1999), a foundational reference work documenting Korean culture and society in English.
Additionally, Koreapedia honours the academic legacy of Kimbo's grandfather, Dr. Jae-Seo Choe, a pioneering figure in introducing English literature to Korea, was well as translating several Shakespearen classics into Korea in the mid-20th century.
References
- Koreapedia. (n.d.). Koreapedia Official Site. Retrieved from https://koreapedia.net
- Encylopedia of Korea (1999) Australian National University
- Wikipedia. (n.d.). Collaborative writing. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_writing
- ResearchGate. (n.d.). How Can Generative AI be Adapted for Learning Context Support in Contextual Vocabulary Acquisition. Retrieved from ResearchGate
- Kim, D. (n.d.). Dai-Kyu (Kimbo) Kim | LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/daikyukim/
- Kim, D. (n.d.). Instagram profile. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/daikyukim/
- Kim, D. (n.d.). Bluesky profile. Retrieved from https://bsky.app/profile/daikyukim.bsky.social
Attribution: Copied from - https://app.getguru.com/card/iMq5EzgT/Koreapedia-Wiki
