The HK⁺ Mega-Asia Research Project at SNUAC, directed by Suhong Chae, has received the Excellence Award in the Humanities at the 2026 Public Impact Research Awards in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The award recognizes the project’s success in developing a public humanities model that shares and disseminates academic research through its flagship initiative, Shining Literature of Asia 100, organized by the AsIA Regional Humanities Center.

The Public Impact Research Awards in the Humanities and Social Sciences were established to identify and promote outstanding examples of humanities and social science research that have made meaningful contributions to society and the public. The HK⁺ Mega-Asia Research Project was recognized for building a sustainable framework for disseminating research by extending scholarship on Asia through public lectures, cultural events, educational programs, and digital content.

At the heart of this achievement is Shining Literature of Asia 100, the signature program of the AsIA Regional Humanities Center. The series is a public humanities initiative that introduces the histories, civilizations, intellectual traditions, and everyday worlds of Asia through classic works and major intellectual legacies from across the continent. Rather than presenting Asia merely as a geographical region or the subject of current affairs, the project encourages audiences to understand it as a rich intellectual landscape shaped by diverse traditions of knowledge and thought.

The series is also significant for presenting a new model for connecting academic research with the broader public. By integrating full-length expert lectures with short-form (Shorts) videos, the project attracts initial public interest and guides audiences naturally toward deeper engagement. This multi-platform strategy has enhanced the accessibility of humanities content while creating opportunities for sustained learning rather than one-time consumption.

Another distinctive feature of Shining Literature of Asia 100 is the participation of scholars from 26 universities in Korea and abroad specializing in Asian studies. More than a lecture series hosted by a single institution, the project has become an academic platform and public forum through which researchers share their scholarship and engage with wider audiences. The participation of specialists representing diverse disciplines and regional expertise enables the series to present a nuanced and balanced understanding of Asia.

Shining Literature of Asia 100 also serves as the central content platform connecting the AsIA Regional Humanities Center’s public lectures, cultural events, educational programs, and digital archive. By continuously accumulating research-based content online, the project has established a sustainable public humanities model in which research, dissemination, and long-term archiving reinforce one another. As of June 2026, the platform had released more than 280 videos, recording approximately 430,000 cumulative views and 120,000 cumulative hours of watch time, establishing itself as an open-access humanities platform widely utilized by the public.

Building on this recognition, the HK⁺ Mega-Asia Research Project plans to further expand Shining Literature of Asia 100 by developing additional content covering the history, civilization, philosophy, and cultures of Asia. It also intends to continue building multilingual subtitles and digital archives so that the platform can serve not only audiences in Korea but also researchers and the general public around the world as an open-access public humanities resource.

This award is particularly meaningful in demonstrating how academic research can extend beyond the scholarly community to be shared with the public and transformed into broader social value. Through Shining Literature of Asia 100 and a wide range of related initiatives, the HK⁺ Mega-Asia Research Project at SNUAC will continue to promote deeper public understanding of Asia while strengthening its role as a public humanities platform that connects research with society.