[Diplomatic News] American Research Institutes Receive Funding from Korea Foundation

The Korea Foundation, a semi-public institute in Korea, provided funding to 14 U.S. research institutes last year (see table). The total sum comes to $1,774,000, or 1,836,970,000 won.

The Korea Society, which was jointly established by Korea and the U.S. comes out on top of the list by winning $1.1 million (or 1,139 million won), which is equivalent to 62 percent of the total funds provided by the foundation.

The other 13 institutes received anywhere between $10,000 and $80,000 (or 10,350,000-82,840,000 won).

A source from the foundation said, “The money is used to promote favorable perceptions and public opinion about Korea in general. So it has nothing to do with politics.”

But because the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), which has proposed a series of hard-line policies against North Korea as the leading neoconservative think tank with close links to the Bush administration, failed to win any funding in 2005, suspicions were raised that funding decisions were being made for political reasons. The AEI received $50,000 last year.

Hyong-gwon Pu bookum90@donga.com