The institute is an independent, nonprofit organization devoted to research on South Korea's international and domestic affairs. Originally launched as the Ilhae Foundation, the institute was conceived in December 1983 in the aftermath of the Rangoon Incident, which involved the tragic loss of seventeen members of the South Korean president's entourage. Having first established a fund to assist the families of the victims, the institute's founders believed that a more substantive response to the tragedy was necessary and thus envisioned the establishment of a research institute dedicated to studying policies conducive to promoting peace in the Korean peninsula. The organization was renamed the Sejong Institute in May 1988.

The mission of the organization is to contribute to the advancement of the human race through the realization of human rights and democracy in North Korea.

The Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights Nknet, a Seoul-based nonprofit organization, was formed by a group of citizens who wish to alleviate the suffering of the people of North Korea and to realize universal values by promoting human rights and democracy in North Korea.

The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) was founded in 1990 as a government-funded economic research institute. It is the world's leading institute on the international economy and its relationship with Korea. KIEP advises the government on all major international economic policy issues, and also serves as a warehouse of information on Korea's international economic policies. Further, KIEP carries out research for foreign institutes and governments on all areas of the Korean and international economies.

KIEP continually strives to increase its coverage and grasp of world economic events. Expanding cooperative relations has been an important part of these efforts. In addition to many ongoing joint projects, KIEP is also aiming to be a part of a much expanded and closer network of the world's leading research institutes. Considering the rapidly changing economic landscape of Asia that is leading to a further integration of the world's economies, we are confident KIEP's win-win proposal of greater cooperation and sharing of resources and facilities will increasingly become standard practice in the field of economic research.

Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan organization working to improve the human rights situation of the people in North Korea as well as of those North Koreans who have fled their country for various reasons. It was founded among human rights activists, intellectuals, and North Korean defectors in May 1996. NKHR has been dedicated to improving the dismal human rights situation in North Korea and helping the North Korean refugees in their plight by way of carrying out an international campaign in coalition with individual human rights advocates as well as NGOs worldwide. NKHR also assists North Korean defectors in South Korea with their resettlement into a new society. By protecting the human rights of North Koreans, NKHR hopes to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to contribute to the peaceful reunification and integration of North and South Koreas.