Penn alumnus James Joo-Jin Kim.
The University received a $25 million gift from Penn alumnus James Joo-Jin Kim and Agnes Kim of the James and Agnes Kim Family Foundation.
The gift will aid in funding the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies, the Kim Family Neurovascular Surgery Program at Penn Medicine, the Kim Korean Studies Fund at the Lauder Institute for Management and International Studies, and contribute to the Wharton Dean’s Discretionary Fund, Penn announced.
Kim first endowed the James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies in 2011, enabling Penn’s Korean Studies Program to support more students interested in Korean cultural and linguistic studies.
This new gift will create an academic center within the Korean Studies program that will sponsor a global conference and promote collaboration with Philadelphia’s Korean community. It is also expected to help Penn recruit top scholars in Korean studies and expand opportunities such as fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students.
The Kim Family Neurovascular Surgery Program will help Penn Medicine improve the quality of care for patients with neurovascular disorders — by funding a neurovascular innovation lab that develops new technologies for treatments, and by making the treatments accessible to patients. Additionally, the Kim Family Program will endow a professorship in cerebrovascular surgery.
The fund will also create the Kim Korean Studies Fund, a master's program in Management and International Studies focusing on international business, language, and leadership at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute. It will support the increasing number of students in the Lauder program who are interested in Korean studies, sponsoring immersion programs in Korea, East Asia, and the Global Knowledge Lab.
Additionally, the gift will provide support to the Wharton Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
Kim is the Executive Chairman and founder of Amkor Technology, Inc., a global provider of semiconductor packaging and test services. He also serves as an Emeritus Trustee of the University and a member of the Lauder Institute’s Board of Governors.
“The knowledge and character I gained at Penn helped to pave the road to my success, and I hope this gift helps to pave that road for others,” Kim said.
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