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News Release

FOR RELEASE
Monday
March 2, 2009

The Korea Foundation has pledged $1 million toward the establishment of a research chair in Korea policy at the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, RAND Corporation President and CEO James A. Thomson announced today.

The Korea Foundation's gift will be matched by a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor once RAND has raised an additional $1 million for the new Korea Policy Chair, Thomson said.

"RAND's research agenda has included Korea issues for more than 50 years. We are honored that the Korea Foundation has made this generous gift to RAND that will allow us to continue and expand our policy research in this critical part of the world," Thomson said.

"The Korea Foundation believes this support will enable RAND to make a notable contribution to the realization of more cooperative Korea-U.S. relations, based on an enhancement of mutual understanding," said Ambassador Sung-Joon Yim, president of the Korea Foundation.

Tom McNaugher, acting director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, said, "Korea's security relationships are central to stability in Northeast Asia, and this new chair will help RAND to focus not just on military and security policy issues, but on the broader geostrategic and political issues in Korea. It also will help consolidate and enhance the research on Korea that's being done across RAND's many divisions."

The Korea Foundation is an independent organization affiliated with the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and supported by both public funding and private donations. It was established in 1991 with the aim of enhancing Republic of Korea's image and reputation in the world through the promotion of academic and cultural exchange programs.

RAND is a nonprofit research organization with its main campus in Santa Monica, California. The RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy is a multidisciplinary research center that provides decisionmakers and the public with rigorous and objective research on critical policy challenges facing Asia and U.S.-Asia relations.

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