The Academy of Korean Studies, a South Korean public educational institute, awarded Binghamton University with the “Overseas Leading University Program for Korean Studies Grant,” which will provide BU with $1 million to enhance BU’s Center for Korean Studies over the next five years.

University President C. Peter Magrath and AKS President ChungKil Chung signed the agreement at a Thursday morning press conference.

This grant is thought to be a stepping stone for future grants, according to Sungdai Cho, associate professor and director of the Center for Korean Studies, which is part of the Asian and Asian American

Studies department.

Magrath noted at the press conference that Korean students are among the top three nationalities of BU’s foreign students, along with Chinese and Indian.

The grant will support and expand the programs offered by BU, which include education, research and international exchange programs.

Only seven grants have been awarded since AKS initiated the program in 2006. In the Northeast, only BU and Harvard University have been awarded. Other schools across the United States to receive the grant include University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Berkeley, University of Washington and the University of

Southern California.