Just before the 2017 winter break, the Korea Law Center gratefully received a gift of $100,000 from Dr. Jonathan H. Kim and Lyla Kim to support research on legal issues relating to South Korea. Dr. Kim, who received his undergraduate degree from the University’s College of Letters and Sciences, is a leading philanthropist in the San Francisco Bay Area to causes and events related to Korean-American relations. The funds will support research into reparations for WWII Korean “comfort women” and the resolution of territorial disputes between Korea and Japan.
Dr. Kim and his sister, Soon Kim, visited the law school on December 20, 2017. “Dr. Kim has made a generous gift to the Berkeley Korea Law Center,” said Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “We welcome his leadership on U.S.-Korea relations.” According to Professor John Yoo, Director of the Korea Law Center, the Kims’ gift will support faculty research on the disputes between Korea and Japan over the island of Dokdo, South Korea’s maritime border, and remedies under U.S. and international law for the violation of the rights of “comfort women” during World War II. “The Korea Law Center will continue its research into these important legal issues centered on Korea, thanks to Dr. Kim’s generosity, and it will be able to provide students with invaluable experience.” Dr. Kim said, “We are so pleased to help Professor Yoo and the faculty at Berkeley’s Korea Law Center do what they do best—research to seek solutions to challenges. In these fields and beyond, Professor John Yoo has been a leader in bridging the East and West. We hope our gift will allow Professor Yoo to continue his important work.”