The estate of the late Koh Kwang-rim, the first Korean to earn a master’s and a Ph.D. from the Harvard Law School, donated 2,356 books to the National Library of Korea, Sejong, on March 14. The books cover topics as diverse as Korea, law, economics and politics, and they were part of Koh’s private library during his lifetime. His widow, Chun Hesung, board president of the East Rock Institute, was at the ceremony.
Koh was the first envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the U.S. Together with Chun, he helped to found the Korea Institute in 1952, the forerunner of today’s East Rock Institute. The two made many efforts to inform the world, especially the U.S., about Korea and East Asia more generally. They also helped young newly-immigrated Americans who were concerned about their identity and the roots of Korean society. Chun has been dedicated to cultivating talented individuals throughout her career and to the promotion of cultural exchanges between the U.S. and East Asia. She was a key player in the decision to donate the books to a library in Koh’s country of birth, Korea.
“The donated materials, which were collected by the late Dr. Koh Kwang-rim, Dr. Chun Hesung and their children, were all used throughout their research activities,” said Chun. “I hope that these books will be used as part of the policy information service at the National Library of Korea, Sejong, a specialized section of the library that focuses on government policy.”
By Wi Tack-whan, Son Gina
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photos: National Library of Korea, Sejong
whan23@korea.kr