Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup (left) and Kim Seung-su, president of the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, on Sept. 2 hold copies of a memorandum of understanding they signed at the main conference room of OKA headquarters in Songdo International Business District of Incheon's Yeonsu-gu District. (OKA)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

The Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) will send some 7,000 books in Korean to Korean-language schools worldwide to support education in the Korean language and culture for the next generation of ethnic Koreans abroad.

The OKA on Sept. 2 said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to provide the books this year to 70 such schools abroad spanning genres like children's and young adult literature, novels and essays.

The MOU seeks to meet the schools' demand for books and educational materials on the Korean language, history and culture, while supporting language and culture education for younger generations of ethnic Koreans overseas.

The first recipients will be schools in Europe, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Book selection and a needs assessment will be completed by early next month and shipping to each region will start sequentially in late October.

OKA Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup said, "We will expand our support so that the next generation of ethnic Koreans overseas can naturally interact with Korean literature and culture through high-quality Korean books and develop a sense of identity and pride as members of the Korean community."

dusrud21@korea.kr