The Korean Economic Association was launched in Pusan on November, 30, 1952, in order to reestablish the academic foundation and has energetically carried out the theoretical and empirical research. Now the KEA is the representative economic association in Korea.

In order to exchange the academic knowledge with foreign scholars, the KEA joined for 'International Economic Association' (in Paris) as the 37th member. On January, 21, 1993, the KEA transformed as a corporation aggregate.

The membership is divided into individual membership and institutional membership. As of 2002, the number of individual members amounts to 2,000, approximately. Members are mainly composed of professors and doctors in Economics and researchers in various research institutions.

The KEA awards 'chung-ram prize' to an excellent researcher 45 years old or younger. The KEA publishes the member's papers in 'Kyung Jae Hak Yeon Gu' (in Korean) and the Korean Economic Review (in English) after a blind review process. The Korean journal is published four times a year and the English journal is published twice a year.

The KEA has provided for the place to exchange academic knowledge and research, in which members present the result of their excellent study. In particular, the KEA has hosted 'the Economics Joint Conference' from 2001. In addition, the KEA has invited Korean economists based on foreign countries and foreign scholars and held the international conference every two year

From 2000, the KEA launched Economics Education Committee to enhance efficiency of the education in Economics. The Economics Education Committee hosts symposiums periodically. Finally, the KEA distributes CD-ROM that contains articles published and presented in KEA academic journals and conferences from its inauguration.