Russian Ambassador to Korea Donates the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles in celebration of Korea University’s contribution to Korea-Russia Dialogue

Russian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Alexander Timonin donated the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles to Korea University, via the university’s Provost and Executive Vice President Nam-Ho Lee on Monday, October 26, at 2:00 p.m. The Collection consists of 40 books, which contain a vast chronological record of the nation’s history in the latter half of the 16th century (circa 1568-1576).

Ambassador Timonin has visited Korea University in celebration of the successful Korea-Russia Dialogue (KRD) each year since 2010 and in appreciation of KU’s contributions to the KRD.

As their diplomatic relationship has been promoted to “a strategic cooperative partnership” from “a mutually trustful and comprehensive partnership” in 2009, and the need for a Eurasia cooperative scheme for the achieving “the New Asia Initiative” and “the Korean Peninsula Economic Community,” Korea and Russia agreed in 2010 to establish the KRD to promote the Three Major New Silk Roads (Iron, Energy, and Green Silk Roads) project and the mutual understandings of each. Private and public sectors, as well as academia and industries from both countries part take in the annual KRD Forums, held alternately by each country.

Korea University and Saint Petersburg State University have taken part in the KRD as private sector players on the part of each country. The first forum (Seoul, 2010) was held under the theme “Korea-Russia Cooperation in the Knowledge-based Society of the 21st Century”; the second (Saint Petersburg, 2011) under the theme “Korea-Russia Cooperation for Modernization and Innovation”; the third (Seoul, 2013) under the theme “Korea-Russia Cooperation Ushering in the Era of Eurasia.” In each of the forums, the presidents of each university served as the chief directors of the coordinating committees, and the leaders of both countries participated.

The Collection, after being registered in the main library, is to be stocked in the Institute of Russia-CIS Studies. It will be available to all KU students, as well as researchers.

In return, the Vice President of Korea University, Nam-Ho Lee, presented Ambassador Timonin with a photoprint of ‘Soo-sun-jeon-do’ (an old map of Seoul by Gosaja Jung-Ho Kim) ？ one of the Korea University Museum’s treasures.

At 2:30 p.m., Ambassador Timonin delivered a special lecture on “The 25th Anniversary of Korea-Russia Relationship: Its Achievements and Prospects” for an hour to KU students and faculty in the International Seminar Room at the International Studies Hall in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-Russia diplomatic relationship.