Korea Foundation’s £2m endowed gift to advance Korean Studies
SOAS has received a transformative endowment of £2 million from the Korea Foundation to establish a Chair in Korean Studies. This landmark gift marks a pivotal moment for Korean Studies in the UK and Europe. The Chair will shape the future of Korean Studies at SOAS and beyond, driving innovation in research and teaching in this key field.
The creation of this new Professorship will be a strategic post, marking a major expansion into a dynamic area of contemporary Korean culture and scholarship, consolidating our leading position as a centre of excellence in Korean Studies. It will also enhance the global visibility and relevance of the field across academic and public discourse.
This major gift reflects a long-standing partnership between SOAS and the Korea Foundation...
This significant gift reflects a long-standing partnership between SOAS and the Korea Foundation and a shared ambition to elevate the global impact of Korean Studies. As home to one of the largest concentrations of Korean Studies experts in Europe, SOAS is uniquely placed to leverage this endowment to broaden academic leadership and expanding interdisciplinary research.
The Chair in Korean Studies will be based in the SOAS School of Arts - led by Charlotte Horlyck, Professor of the History of Korean Art - and will anchor this rapidly growing area of teaching and research. The School recently launched an innovative undergraduate programme in digital media and culture which incorporates Korean digital media. The programme has already attracted significant interest from students in the UK and internationally.
The Korea Foundation has been a longstanding supporter and partner of SOAS for several decades, supporting academic posts, scholarships and the SOAS Library. Nearly 40 years ago, it also played a pivotal role in establishing the SOAS Centre of Korean Studies - the first UK‑based centre of its kind and widely recognised as a leading centre for Korean Studies in Europe.
The Chair will shape the future of Korean Studies at SOAS and beyond
SOAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib said: “The Korea Foundation’s impact has been significant in many areas of our work at SOAS. From establishing a specialist Centre, providing fellowships and conference grants to enhancing our Library resources, we are immensely grateful for their ongoing support. Thanks also to Professor Charlotte Horlyck for enabling this shared vision to come to life. We very much look forward to advancing Korean Studies at SOAS with the Foundation’s support.”
Korea Foundation President Guido Song said: “This endowed Chair in Korean digital media will broaden the scope of Korean Studies to encompass contemporary digital culture, while further strengthening academic collaboration between Korea, the UK and Europe.”
The Korea Foundation is dedicated to strengthening global understanding of Korea by supporting professorships, library collections, research fellowships and visiting academic posts worldwide. Many SOAS postgraduate students have received the Foundation’s prestigious Graduate Studies Fellowship and have gone on to secure prominent academic roles in Korea, Europe, North America, South Korea and across the Asia‑Pacific region.
SOAS offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of Korean Studies programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level and has pioneered interdisciplinary approaches that bridge culture, society, language, history and politics across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. SOAS was the first British university to introduce Korean Studies in the late 1940s, followed by Korean language and degree programmes, establishing a foundation for its long‑standing global reputation for academic excellence in the field.
Today, SOAS remains the leading centre for Korean Studies in Europe, with one of the largest concentrations of Korean specialists, an internationally renowned public seminar series, and strong research outputs. Its work is supported by unparalleled access to the SOAS Library and its unique Korean collections of books and archival materials, making it a key hub for national and international scholarly exchange.
