On Monday April 1, 2019 Ju Tae Kim, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in Trinidad and Tobago donated a collection of books about Korean history, culture, politics, religion, philosophy, art as well as two globes to the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS).

Catherine Romain, NALIS’ executive director who received the donation from Ju Tae Kim at the National Library Building said that the books, which are in English, will provide the public with a greater understanding of South Korea.

Included in the donation are two uniquely designed boxes titled “Korean Essentials” - each box contains a series of 20 books. Korean Essentials is best described as a bundle of all of Korea in one convenient set. Published by the Korea Foundation in collaboration with Seoul Selection, the series is intended to furnish the international reader with insight and basic understanding into the arts and culture of Korea. Titles in this series include: Korean Handicraft – An Art in Everyday Life; Korean Wines and Spirits – Drinks That Warm the Soul; Temple Stay – A Journey of Self-Discovery; Korean Dance – Pure Emotion and Energy; Korean Ceramics – The Beauty of Natural Forms; Korea’s Natural Wonders – Exploring Korea’s Landscapes; Museums and Galleries – Displaying Korea’s Past and Future; Traditional Food – A Taste of Korean Life; The DMZ – Dividing the Two Koreas; Traditional Painting – Window on the Korean Mind and more.

In addition to the “Korean Essentials, the donation includes 20 other titles. Among these are: Buddhist Architecture of Korea by Sung-Woo Kim; Palaces of Korea by Kim Dong-uk; Korean Philosophy – Sources and Interpretations published by the Korea University Press, Korean Cuisine –a Cultural Journey by Chung Haekyung and Corea, a Spanish language book about Korea for children.

This is the second book collection donated to NALIS by the Embassy of Korea. The first donation of 50 books was presented in April 2014.