The government announced Tuesday it would invest 28.8 billion won ($27 million) this year to promote Korean studies at home and abroad.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Academy of Korean Studies, a state-run research and educational institution, started the project in 2007 with the aim of broadening Korean studies with a budget of 4.5 billion won.

The budget has increased significantly since then thanks to growing interest in Korean culture and entertainment, breaking the 20 billion mark in 2011. Last year, the government spent about 27.2 billion won on strengthening research and programs for Korean studies.

According to the ministry, this year the project targets analyzing the quantity and quality of Korean studies programs abroad, and also to expand support to relatively undeveloped subjects, such as ancient Korean history.

As part of the plan, the ministry is to fund four new research projects to help translate ancient Korean history and literature into other languages.

Two more foreign universities will be designated as focal points for Korean studies, bringing the total to 22, including Harvard University, Yanbian University in China and Saint Petersburg State University in Russia.

The ministry said it would also set aside funds to help publish an encyclopedia of Korean studies.

To attract more schools and researchers at home as well as overseas, the ministry said, it would host a series of information sessions for the project.

The presentations will take place in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, where there are many institutions willing to run a Korean study course, but lack resources to do so, according to the ministry.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)