The Korean embassy and the Dhaka University on Wednesday agreed to further promote collaborative activities based on the various cooperation programmes they have made during the past decades.
This was discussed when Ambassador Lee Jang-keun visited the University and handed over 100 books and multimedia materials on Korea and Korean language learning to the ‘Korean Corner’ at the university in the presence of Vice Chancellor Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman and Library Director Nasir Uddin Munsi.
Congratulating the centenary anniversary of Dhaka University, Ambassador Lee also proposed to work closely together for furthering ties between Korea and Bangladesh, in particular towards the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023.
The Korea Corner was established at the University’s Central Library in July 2013 to promote the academic interest in Korea and Korea-Bangladesh relations among the University students, faculty members and general public.
More than 1,000 books and audio-visual materials in Korean or English language have been donated to the library so far.
As the University reopens in the coming week after a long period of shutdown due to the corona pandemic, the Korea Center expects to draw students again.
New books added to the library on Wednesday include Korean Literature Through the Korean Wave, Korea’s Premier Collection of Classical Literature, Global Perspectives of Korean Literature, A Concise History of Modern Korea, Korea: A Very Short Introduction.
The University of Dhaka has also established Korean Language Center under its Institute of Modern Language (IML) in 1997 offering Korean language classes.
Around 150 students are enrolled in the Korean language course every academic year.
As K-pop, K-drama, K-movie and K-food are getting popular in Bangladesh, many young people and students are showing a growing interest in learning Korean language.
With the support of the Korean government through KOICA, the Dhaka University is also establishing a Startup Center to promote startups and youth entrepreneurs among the Bangladesh Youth which is slated to open in 2024, said the embassy.