<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><font style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Dear KS Colleagues,</font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">We are delighted to share the news of the launch of the Institute for Korean Studies (IKS) at the University of Missouri (MU).</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">IKS is founded on the special relationship between the state of Missouri and Korea that dates back to the US President Truman, which has fostered decades of research, teaching, and exchange related to Korea at MU. </span><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">We believe IKS will advance this course and has the potential to join the growing group of fine Korean Studies research centers across the world. We also hope for it to provide an additional platform to highlight the excellent research done by MU's faculty. </span></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""> </span></div></div><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><span class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">The launch is on Thursday, February 9, at 3PM, at the University of Missouri's Jesse Wrench Auditorium in Memorial South building. The launch event features a forum with Grace Jo--a former refugee from North Korea who now speaks widely on freedom and human rights, and who is the focus of a short, award-winning documentary charting her journey from refugee status to American citizenship. A reception will follow. The flyer for the event is attached. <br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><br class=""></div><span class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">We are excited to celebrate a new step in advancing Korea-related research in Missouri. Visit and talk to us through our website (<a href="http://korea.missouri.edu" class="">korea.missouri.edu</a>), Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/KoreainMissouri" class="">@KoreainMissouri</a>), and Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/IKSatMU/" class="">facebook.com/IKSatMU</a>). </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">Please contact us with any inquiries. We hope some of you can join us for the event!</div></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">With best wishes, </div></span></span><span class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px;"><div class=""><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""></p></div><div class=""><div class=""><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""> </p></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Co-Director (Political Science, <a href="mailto:greitenss@missouri.edu" class="">greitenss@missouri.edu</a>)</div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">Cheehyung Harrison Kim, Co-Director (History, <a href="mailto:kimcheehyung@missouri.edu" class="">kimcheehyung@missouri.edu</a>)</div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class="">Seungkwon You, Executive-Director (Asian Affairs Center, <a href="mailto:youse@missouri.edu" class="">youse@missouri.edu</a>)</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat;" class=""></div></span></body></html>