By Kim Hwaya

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Aug. 22 announced the opening of the 16th Small Library in Mongolia under the Thank you, Small Library Project, a form of official development assistance in education and culture.

This project is designed to support educational and cultural infrastructure in developing countries. Since 2007, the ministry has set up 126 Small Libraries in 13 countries across Asia and Africa.

Mongolia has had 13 such libraries built in five regions since 2012, and on Aug. 21, three more were opened at Ulaanbaatar School No. 121, a comprehensive education school also in the Mongolian capital and a sports school in Arkhangai.

The libraries have 6,000 books designated for required reading by the Mongolian Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports, and Mongolian translations of Korean literature, plus 120 pieces of Korean cultural content and multimedia equipment.

In the opening ceremony at Ulaanbaatar School No. 121, around 120 people attended including Chun Byong-keuk, director-general of the Culture Ministry's Regional Culture Policy Bureau, and B. Sergelen, the head of the Mongolian ministry's Cultural Policy Department, as well as teachers and students at the school.

"Korea has provided support to improve Mongolia's educational infrastructure by renovating the library environment and giving books," Chun said. "We will continue our support so that the creativity and dreams of Mongolian children can grow."

Sergelen added, "The libraries supported by the Korean government are never small because they are places that allow Mongolian students to travel the world as much as they want through books and foster their creativity."

The Culture Ministry will set up three more Small Libraries in Nam Dinh, Vietnam, in September and another three in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in November.

fayastory@korea.kr