Indiana University has announced that its Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and Institute for Korean Studies will receive a total of $1.65 million from the Korea Foundation and IU alumni Young-Jin Kim and William (Won-Suk) Joo to endow a professorship in Korean studies.

The addition of the Korea Foundation Professorship in Korean Studies will help cement the university's status as a hub for Korean studies in the Midwest. Previous gifts from the foundation and alumni totaling more than $1.5 million helped launch the Institute for Korean Studies and establish the Korea Foundation Chair in Korean Studies, which is currently held by Seung-kyung Kim.

Currently, three hundred and forty-four IU students are enrolled in Korean language courses, a 400 percent increase from a decade ago, whle the Korea Chapter of the IU Alumni Association is one of the largest IU alumni groups in the world.

"We are pleased to cooperate with Indiana University and alumni Young-Jin Kim and William (Won-Suk) Joo to endow a professorship in Korean studies," said Korea Foundation president Lee Geun. "Since 1997, IU has been one of the most prominent and industrious partners in building an extensive infrastructure of Korean studies in the U.S. This endowment will bring further diversity to Korean studies research, helping IU to continue promoting an in-depth understanding of Korea, as well as fostering future experts who will bring a fresh perspective to the field."