Society of Friends of Korean Studies
Society of Friends of Korean Studies (SOFOKS)
East Asian Studies Center
Indiana University
Bloomington, Ind.
The Society of Friends of Korean Studies at Indiana University (SOFOKS) was started in 1982 and has been contributing to Korean studies at I.U. every since. “The Society of Friends of Korean Studies was begun at I.U. in the early '80s to capture the energy and interest of a number of Korean-Americans living in Indiana as well as some of the many Korean graduates of I.U. SOFOKS wanted to do something to promote Korean Studies at IU, and the new East Asian Studies Center (founded 1979, when the first Title VI Center grant came in) was most happy to help them,” explains former EASC Director George Wilson. SOFOKS funds have been used to fund the acquisition of Korean books at the library, conferences on Korean studies, and overseas study. SOFOKS also helps pay AI salaries, sponsor film series and special lectures, and to provide graduate fellowships and undergraduate awards. Wilson continues, “EASC and Indiana University are enormously grateful for the 20-plus years of support from the Korean community and the Korean alumni of I.U. SOFOKS is a valuable partner in promoting the cause of Korean studies on the Bloomington campus, and its influence is felt throughout the university. China and Japan are larger and there are more faculty and students who specialize in them at I.U.; SOFOKS is therefore invaluable as a source of expanding the interest and study of Korea.”
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SOURCE: East Asian Studies Center, Indiana University