A private university in Chile has opened a space dedicated to learning about Korea, bringing the tally of such spaces worldwide to 34, the Culture Ministry said Friday. The state-run National Library of Korea provided the materials for the space.
“Window on Korea,” as the space is officially named, at la Universidad Central de Chile has some 1,607 books about Korea. The university is the only institution offering a master’s degree in Korean Studies in all of Central and South America. The master’s program was opened in 2018.
The dedicated section will help the university bolster its position as the go-to place to gain an in-depth understanding of Korea, the National Library of Korea said. The space is operated with funding from the National Library of Korea, according to the Culture Ministry.
“We’ve been backing efforts to raise awareness of Korean culture overseas,” an official at the library said, noting that 33 libraries in countries across Asia, Europe and the Middle East have so far received some 130,000 books on Korea since 2007.
The latest “Window on Korea” space also features Korean-style interior decor and furniture.
For the Culture Ministry, raising South Korea’s global profile has been a top priority for since October, when Yu In-chon was appointed as culture minister. As part of those efforts, the Korean Culture and Information Service, charged with promoting Korea’s image overseas, will be shut down once the Culture Ministry takes over its operations.
The agency lacked the power to initiate and lead interagency discussions on improving the way the international community understands Korea, a senior agency official said, noting the ministry will launch the new office replacing the agency as early as February.
