On September 12th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the dedication of the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies and honor its benefactor, James Joo-Jin Kim, W’59, G’61, GR’63, PAR’92, and his wife Agnes Chung-Sook Kim, PAR’92. Their daughter, Susan Y. Kim, President of the James and Agnes Kim Foundation and Executive Vice Chair of the Amkor Corporation, was also in attendance, as was their granddaughter (Susan’s daughter), Alexandra Kim Hay, SPP’16, and Alexandra’s husband, Alexander.
At the dedication, from left to right: Myoung-Woo Lee, WG’94, PAR’04, President of the Penn Club of Korea and Co-Vice Chairman of Dongwon Industries; Hyunjoon Park, Korea Foundation Professor of Sociology and director of the Center; Jeff Kallberg, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music and Associate Dean for Arts and Letters; James Joo-Jin Kim, W’59, G’61, GR’63, PAR’92; Agnes Chung-Sook Kim, PAR’92; Interim Penn President Larry Jameson; and Ken Yun, C’77, PAR’08, Founder and Group Chairman of Pavilion.
Speakers included Larry Jameson, Interim Penn President, and Jeff Kallberg, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music and Associate Dean for Arts and Letters, who both praised Kim’s decades-long support in growing Korean Studies at Penn.
“The Kim Center is an ideal example of Penn’s commitment to working across disciplines—a priority of our strategic framework, In Principle and Practice. By strengthening our ties with Korean-Americans both in Philadelphia and beyond, the Center exemplifies our commitment to engaging with our community,” said Jameson. “Penn has benefited greatly from Jim’s leadership and expertise in so many areas, including as a Trustee, and we are forever grateful that his legacy is embodied in the Center bearing his name.”
“Jim has been an advocate and supporter of Korean Studies at Penn for a quarter of a century,” said Kallberg. “Korean Studies simply would not be where it is today without Jim and his family.”
Jim has been an advocate and supporter of Korean Studies at Penn for a quarter of a century. Korean Studies simply would not be where it is today without Jim and his family.
Also, in attendance were Hyunjoon Park, Korea Foundation Professor of Sociology and director of the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies; Ken Yun, C’77, PAR’08, Founder and Group Chairman of Pavilion Investment Group and long-time supporter of Korean Studies at Penn; and Myoung-Woo Lee, WG’94, PAR’04, President of the Penn Club of Korea and Co-Vice Chairman of Dongwon Industries. Yun and Lee—who traveled from Seoul to attend—presented a check to Kim representing funds raised by the alumni community in Korea in honor of Kim and supporting the Center.
In 2022, the University received a $25 million gift from the Kims and the James and Agnes Kim Foundation, which supported a range of initiatives. The largest portion of the multifaceted gift went to the creation of the Center, which promotes interdisciplinary, global approaches to Korean Studies. While traditional Korean Studies programs focus on history and the arts, the Kim Center combines social, scientific, and humanistic approaches and embraces transnational and comparative research and teaching on issues of migration, healthcare, and climate change.
In the first year following the gift, Korean Studies saw the establishment of a new professorship, the launch of a global conference, the sponsorship of advanced interdisciplinary research, the creation of new opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and the strengthening of outreach and collaboration with local Philadelphia institutions and the Korean-American community.
Kim is Executive Chairman of Amkor Technology, Inc., one of the world’s largest independent providers of semiconductor packaging and test services. He is a former member of the Board of Overseers of the School of Arts & Sciences and Wharton’s Executive Board for Asia, and a former member of the Penn Alumni Council and Penn Alumni Board of Directors. Kim is also a former Penn Trustee and currently serves as a Trustee Emeritus. He endowed the James Joo-Jin Kim Professorship at the Wharton School and is a significant contributor to Huntsman Hall.
Kim also established the James J. Kim Trustee Scholarship and the James Joo-Jin Kim Professorship in Economics in the School of Arts & Sciences. At Penn Medicine, he established the Kim Family Neurovascular Surgery Program aimed at developing new technologies for treating neurovascular disorders such as strokes, aneurysms, and brain hemorrhages. Giving to Penn by Jim and the Kim family totals more than $37 million, placing him among the University’s top 25 living donors.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, Kim took the stage to comment on the future of the Center. He remarked that he hoped it would demystify Korea and the Korean peoples and give students a physical space to interact and collaborate on meaningful outcomes.
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