KU receives four globes labeling the East Sea of Korea as “EAST SEA” from entrepreneur Kim Tae Jin, a KU graduate, who is donating globes labeled EAST SEA to ten libraries in the world.

▲ Kim Tae Jin (left) and KU President Yeom Jaeho taking a commemorative photo together with the donated globe specially labeled with the “East Sea”

Four meaningful globes that label the East Sea of Korea as “East Sea” have been donated to Korea University by a Korean-American entrepreneur, Kim Tae Jin (’84, Department of Mathematics). Kim visited KU and donated four globes crafted by Zoffoli Geographica, an Italian company known as one of the world’s top three map manufacturers, upholding outstanding quality, accuracy, and aesthetic beauty.

According to Kim’s wishes, KU plans to display each of the globes respectively in the Central Library, Science & Engineering Library, KU

President’s Office and the Sejong Campus. Kim also plans to donate an additional globe to the KU Alumni Association.

Kim has been interested in collecting old maps indicating the East Sea of Korea and Dokdo. After being informed by Choi Seo Myeon, a leading authority in modern and contemporary history, about the globes, Kim decided to purchase and donate them. He, as an individual, is currently-personally, privately, individually donating globes to the world’s ten most renowned libraries. With donations to the New York Public Library (2012), Seoul Metropolitan Library (2014), Los Angeles Public Library (2016), Library of Congress (2018 expected), and many others, Kim has been contributing both directly and indirectly to raise awareness about the “East Sea” as the sole name for the East Sea of Korea.

According to the Northeast Asian History Foundation, Korea and Turkey are the only two countries among OECD nations that name the East Sea of Korea as “East Sea” in government-published textbooks, while other countries label the sea either as “East Sea concurrently with Sea of Japan” or just “Sea of Japan.”

KU President Yeom said, “I am proud of Kim who is continuously working hard to popularize the ‘East Sea’ as the sole name indicating the East Sea of Korea. I hope that many KU students see the globes displayed in the libraries and later become future leaders with an acute understanding of Korean history.”