Booyoung Group, Seoul National University and George Washington University held a ceremony to celebrate the $1-million donation from company chairman Lee Joong-keun on the campus of George Washington University in Washington D.C., on Wednesday.

After the ceremony, Booyoung Group and George Washington University also signed an agreement to construct a dormitory to be installed with the Korean traditional heating system, ondol.

The fund will be used to support ondol technology research by both universities, and the construction project is expected to be a stepping stone toward a long-term goal of promoting a new housing culture of ondol in the northeastern region of the United States, according to a company official.

“Ondol is qualified as a well-being housing culture with energy-efficiency and sustainability,” Lee said in a speech during the ceremony. “I hope that this newly built dormitory with the Korean ondol system will be a catalyst for ondol research in the United States.”

By Choi In-jeong, Intern reporter (injeongchoi@heraldcorp.com)