1.               Country Report The 33rdARCASIA Council Meeting October 28-November 2, Bali, Indonesia  “Architects leading the Culture of Green Architecture” Korea Institute of Registered Architects (KIRA)                

2. Contents 1. History 2. Office Bearers & Committees
3. Membership Strength
4. Budget
5. HQ & Chapters
6. General Assembly
7. Legal Status of the Institute
8. Registration Authority of Architects
9. International Affiliations of the Institute
10. Major Activities during Last Year
11. Publications & Exhibitions
12. Key Issues Faced by the Profession and Architects
13. Plans for the Future

3. 1. History 1945 Founded Joseon Institute of Architects 1965
History of the Institute
1945
Founded Joseon Institute of Architects
1965
Established Korea Institute of Registered Architects (KIRA)
November, 1985
Joined ARCASIA
November, 1988
Hosted the 3rd Asian Congress of Architects
October 20, 1994
Changed the name of sub-branch office to regional chapter office
September, 1999
Hosted the 10th ARCASIA Forum
June, 2000
Admitted to be the UIA Member Section as an ad hoc body (FIKA)
May, 2006
Became a member of APEC Register Architects Central Council
December 8, 2006
Completion of a new building (KIRA Headquarter, Total Area of 124,538 ft2 with five stories below and seven above the ground)
October 27−
November 1, 2008
Hosted the 13th Asian Congress of Architects

4. 2. Office Bearers & Committees
President : Ar. Kang, Sung Ik
5 Vice-Presidents
14 Directors
2 Audits
Main Committees 
Central Ethics Committee
Policy Committee
Administration Committee
Finance and Economy Committee
Legislation Committee
International Relations Committee
APEC Architect Monitoring Committee
Culture and Public Relations Committee
Planning Committee

5. 3. Membership Strength Current status of members As of August, 2012
Membership Fees
Admission fee: 3,000,000 KRW (approximately 2,694 USD )
Monthly dues of 30,000 KRW (approximately 27 USD )
Categories
No. of members
No. of firms
Regular Member
8,538
7,903
Associate Member 13 -
Honorary Member 14
Special Member 70
Participating Member
Student Member
Total

6. 4. Budget 5. HQ & Chapters 6. General Assembly
Fiscal year 2012 : 4,857,000,000 KRW (4.37 Million USD )
5. HQ & Chapters
HQ office in Seoul / 16 Chapters in cities and provinces
6. General Assembly
The 46th General Assembly (February 28, 2012, KIRA Convention Hall)
- Approval of Budget of the year of 2012 and the settlements of the year 2011
- Approval of the establishment of Korea Architects Registration Board (KARB).

7. 7. Legal Status of the Institute
Established on October 23, 1965, in accordance with the Certified Architects Act KIRA consists of registered architects as members.
8. Registration Authority of Architects
Official registration at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM)
is essential prior to commencement of practice.
9. International Affiliations of the Institutes
International Affiliations
1985~
Joined ARCASIA
2000~
Admitted to be the UIA Member Section as an ad hoc body (FIKA)
1997~
Korea China Japan Registered Architects Organizations Meeting
(KIRA, NABAR of PRC, JFABEA of Japan)
• Agreements for Cooperation with other Institutes of Architects
JFABEA (1985), UMA (1995), JIA (2003), ACE (2008), AIA (2008), ALACE (2010), ASA (2010)
FCARM (2011)

8. 10. Major Activities in Last Year (Oct. 2011-Nov. 2012)
10.1 Korea Architects Registration Board (KARB) May 31, 2012 ∙ Korea Architects Registration Board (KARB) was established on May 31, ∙ Based on Architects Act, Article 38, Clause 3, Item 2, KARB systematically manages the candidates’ professional development, registration and renewal of licensed architects, and continuing education of registered architects, all of which is commissioned to KIRA (Korea Institute of Registered Architects).

9. 10. Major Activities in Last Year (Oct. 2011-Nov. 2012)
10.2 Qualifying Examination for Architect’s License
KIRA was entrusted with the duty of management and implementation
of the Qualifying Examination for Architect’s License and Preliminary
Examination for Architect’s License by the Ministry of Land, Transport and
Maritime Affairs.
a) Preliminary Examination
Annual exam, May 13, 2012
Subjects: Planning, Structure, Construction, Law & Regulations
b) Qualifying Examination
Annual exam, 5 cities throughout the nation , Sep. 16, 2012
Subjects: Site Design, Architecture Design 1, Architecture Design 2

10. 10. Major Activities in Last Year (Oct. 2011-Nov. 2012)
10.3 Sustainable Architecture Academy
KIRA has successfully managed the Sustainable Architecture Academy
since 2009 to foster many design professionals on green architecture. 
Number of graduates: 549 persons (as of 2012, regular course)
256 persons (as of 2012, special course)
10.4 APEC Architect Project
KIRA, entrusted by MLTM, organized Architect Monitoring Committee and
launched APEC Architect Project in Korea since January, 2006.
A total of 133 APEC Architects are being registered as of September, 2012.
10.5 The 4th Seoul International Architecture Film Festival
Period : November 8-14, 2010
Venue : Art House Momo, Ehwa Womans University, Seoul

11. 11. Publications & Exhibitions
11.1 Publication: KIRA’s Periodicals
KIRA has been publishing monthly magazine Architect since 1966 and
10,500 copies are distributed to KIRA members and governmental organizations.
KIRA also publishes a newspaper, Architectural Culture News,
in every another weeks from the year of 2006 (11,000 circulations).
11.2 Publication: Korean Architecture 2011
Introduce all projects which applied for Korean Architecture Award 2011
in over 400 pages of hard covered book (published in April, 2012)

12. 11. Publications & Exhibitions
11.3 Exhibition: 2012 Korea Architecture Fair and Festival (KAFF) Period : October 23-26, 2012 Venue : COEX, Seoul Theme: Green Network Host : KIRA 11.4 Exhibition : 2012 Korean Architecture Award - Established in Hosted by the MLTM, Seoul Economy Daily and KIRA - Goals : to find good architecture and encourage architects, clients and contractors for better architectural environments - The highest architectural award program in Korea with presidential awards in 4 different categories

13. 12. Key Issues Faced by the Profession and Architects
12.1 Amendment of the Certified Architects Act
Proclamation of the amendment : May 30, 2011
Enforcement : May 31, 2012
∙ Enhancement of Architect Qualification Examination
∙ Introduction of Architect Qualification Registration System & Enhancement of professional development
∙ Foundation of punishment process for architects
∙ Expansion of requirements for preliminary examination
12.2 Green Building Creation Support Act
Legislation : February 22, 2012
Enforcement : February 23, 2013
∙ Minister of Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs shall establish a basic plan for green building every five year in order to promote the creation of green building.
∙ Minister of Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs shall establish the energy and greenhouse gas emission information system for buildings.

14. 13. Plans for the Future
13.1 Establishment of KIRA Education Board (EB) At the 46th General Assembly, a proposal of establishing the Architects Education Institute was approved. Its preparing committee has promoted the plan since March , Architects Pension Project The 46th General Assembly approved a draft plan for Architects Pension Project which is to secure retired architects and to enhance their welfare.

15. Thank you!