Journal profile · Multiple
Korea Observer
ISSN 0023-3919 · Institute of Korean Studies
Korea Observer: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.38; subscription journal; 30 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Korea Observer is published by Institute of Korean Studies and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies, Asian Culture and Media Studies and Asian Industrial and Economic Development, together about 46.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Korean Peninsula Historical and Political StudiesSocial Sciences25.8%
- Asian Culture and Media StudiesSocial Sciences11%
- Asian Industrial and Economic DevelopmentSocial Sciences9.8%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Japanese History and CultureSocial Sciences6.2%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences4.1%
- International Relations and Foreign PolicySocial Sciences4%
- Migration, Ethnicity, and EconomySocial Sciences3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.38LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.46LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.73LetPub ·
- h-index
- 18OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 32OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.96OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 35.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 26LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 484 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | 30 | 1 | 39 |
| 2024 | 29 | 0 | 36 |
| 2023 | 28 | 0 | 48 |
| 2022 | 31 | 0 | 41 |
| 2021 | 33 | 2 | 52 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Institute of Korean Studies
- ISSN
- 0023-3919
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Korea Observer
What CAS zone is Korea Observer in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Korea Observer is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Area Studies / International Relations. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Korea Observer?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.38; CiteScore 1.2, h-index 18.
Which databases index Korea Observer?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Korea Observer is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Korea Observer open access, and what is the APC?
Korea Observer is a subscription journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .