In 1991, the Korean government established the Korea Foundation (KF), as a public diplomacy organization affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an effort to promote a better understanding of Korea and its people among the global community.
KF’s activities include the active provision of support for Korean Studies programs and Korearelated specialists for the operation of Korean Studies courses and making available a variety of fellowship assistance programs. The KF also invites prominent figures and specialists to Korea to enhance their understanding of Korea through hands-on experiences. To advance a global knowledge community through intellectual dialogue, the KF organizes forums and global seminars in Korea and abroad, along with extending support for research projects that are undertaken by prestigious think-tank institutes. The KF’s endeavors to promote the culture and arts of Korea involve its close cooperation with various organizations to present a diverse array of cultural activities to publicize Korean arts and culture among the world’s peoples, along with offering support for the establishment of permanent Korea-related gallery spaces at leading museums worldwide. In addition, the KF publishes and distributes Korearelated publications and multimedia materials for global audiences for the regular dissemination of information about Korea and its culture. In particular, the Koreana quarterly published by the KF is known as a high-quality magazine that features diverse aspects of Korea’s culture and arts, both traditional and contemporary. The KF also administers donation programs to promote Korea-related projects, for which a donor can designate the project or program to be supported by the donation.
The graph summarizes the KF budget for the aforementioned international exchange programs. The KF’s overall budget has steadily increased since 2000 and has recently reached US$40 million. The map indicates the foreigners who have visited Korea under the KF’s distinguished guests and next-generation invitation programs, as well as its recent exhibition and performance events.
