IUB becomes first Bangladeshi private university to receive ‘Window on Korea’ grant

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has become the first private university in Bangladesh to have recently received "Window on Korea" grant from the Government of the Republic of Korea.

With this grant, IUB will establish and fund for the next five years a specialised Korea Corner inside the IUB Library, starting March 2022, reads a press release.

The Korea corner will have a rich collection of Korea-related books, periodicals, CDs/DVDs, and other materials.

The grant also includes allocation for procuring equipment and furniture such as computers and bookshelves for the collection area.

IUB Vice Chancellor Tanweer Hasan lauded the significant support received from the Korean Embassy in Bangladesh, especially recognising the role of Lee Jang-keun, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Bangladesh, in releasing this grant.

Ambassador Lee Jang-keun, in turn, expressed hopes that the Window on Korea would better accommodate the growing interest in and demand for Korean culture and language among the youth of Bangladesh, and also play a significant role in promoting the cultural and people-to-people ties between Korea and Bangladesh.

Each year, the National Library of Korea (NLK) selects two or more overseas institutions to set up dedicated Korea collection spaces in their campuses in the interest of promoting and building a better understanding of Korea globally.

University of Dhaka is the only other educational institution in Bangladesh to have a similar Korea Corner in the library.

IUB has been at the forefront of disseminating knowledge and resources on Korea for around a decade.

In 2014, the Department of Media and Communication launched a specialised course on Korean Cinema and Society which is the only such course in a university in South Asia.

The students of this course also went on to establish the IUB K-Club in 2015.

In the last seven years, IUB has hosted a number of programmes focussing on Korea, many of which were supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bangladesh.