On 19 May 2025, at the Archive of the Institute of National Remembrance, the Deputy President of the IPN Prof. Karol Polejowski, and Dong-hak Yang, Deputy President of the Korea War-memorial Organisation, signed an agreement on cooperation between the two institutions.

The meeting was also attended by Chargé d'Affaires Shik Kim representing the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Warsaw, Director of the IPN Archive Marzena Kruk, Deputy President of the IPN Prof.  Krzysztof Szwagrzyk, Director of the Office for Commemorating the Struggle and Martyrdom Adam Siwek, Prosecutor of the Chief Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation Bogusław Czerwiński, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the IPN Office of International Cooperation Mateusz Marek, Ph.D. and scholars of the Historical Research Office.

The agreement concerns cooperation in the field of future educational and scholarly activities, including an exchange of lecturers, staff, and researchers, exchange of academic materials, publications, and information, conducting joint research projects, organizing academic conferences and mutual consultations.

In addition, by decision of the War Memorial of Korea, two experts of the Institute of National Remembrance –Marek Hańderek, Ph.D and Karol Starowicz – were invited to join the International Advisory Council of the KWO. This Council brings together 55 members from all over the world. It includes experts dealing with the subject of Korea and the Korean War. The Council is a platform for international cooperation and exchange.

The participation of the IPN representatives in the work of the Council is a recognition of the Institute's many years of activity in the field of commemorating the victims of totalitarianism, including communism, and research on repressions against Polish citizens and other nationalities. It is also an expression of trust in Poland's scholarly achievements in the field of 20th-century history, and its contribution to international dialogue on the consequences of totalitarian ideologies.

The resources of the IPN Archive contain numerous materials related to the Korean War such as the file containing the registration questionnaires of prisoners of war – citizens of the United States and Great Britain of Polish descent – who were held captive in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1952, as well as reports documenting events from the years 1950-1953.

In addition, the IPN Archive also collects documentation related to the activities of the Polish Mission at the Supervisory Commission of Neutral Nations, which has been operating continuously on the Korean Peninsula since 1953. The resources also include other valuable materials concerning both Korean states, constituting a unique source of information for historians and researchers both in Poland and around the world.

The signing of the Memorandum is an important step in the development of cooperation between the institutions of national memory of Poland and the Republic of Korea, facilitating the deepening of mutual understanding and the popularization of knowledge about common historical experiences.

The visit has been organized by the IPN Office of the Spokesperson and the IPN Office of International Cooperation.

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The Korea War-memorial Organization (KWO) is a national institution in the Republic of Korea established in 1989. Its main goal is to educate societies about the Korean War (1950-1953) allowing the audiences to draw conclusions from that conflict, as well as to contribute to preventing wars, and preparing Korea for future unification. Additionally, the Korean War-memorial Organization is involved in acquiring and collecting materials on the Korean War in cooperation with researchers specializing in Korean studies around the world.

Moreover, the KWO runs the War Memorial of Korea, based in Seoul, which is one of the largest military museums in Asia. It covers an area of ​​approximately 110,770 m² and has over 33,000 exhibits, of which approximately 10,000 are displayed both in indoor and outdoor halls.

Since 2020, with the support of the Korean Ministry of National Defense and the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, the KWO has been implementing an archiving project aimed at collecting and sharing materials related to the Korean War, which have been scattered around the world. So far, it has managed to collect and secure approximately 60,000 documents, and create a comprehensive digital service platform where they may be viewed.