Kim Byung-joo, MBK Chairman, Donates 35 Billion Won to Alma Mater Harford University in the US

Establishment of the 'Ethical Leadership Institute' and Utilization for Educational Program Development
Largest Donation Since the Founding of Harford University
Kim Byung-joo's Personal Donation Exceeds 100 Billion Won to Korean-American Society

MBK Partners Chairman Kim Byung-joo has generously donated hundreds of billions of won to his alma mater. It is known that the total amount Kim has personally donated to both American and Korean societies has exceeded 100 billion won.

On the 29th, MBK Partners announced that Chairman Kim Byung-joo donated $25 million USD (approximately 35 billion KRW) to his alma mater, Haverford College in the eastern United States, on the 23rd (local time).

This donation is reported to be the largest in the history of Haverford College, and the college plans to use the funds to establish the Institute for Ethical Inquiry & Leadership and to develop educational programs.

Wendy Raymond, President of Haverford College, expressed gratitude for Chairman Kim’s donation, stating, “Now is the most appropriate time to focus on and educate ethical leadership,” adding, “This institute is the cornerstone of Haverford 2030, a long-term strategy aimed at nurturing students with ethical thinking and leadership.”

Chairman Kim Byung-joo responded, “Leadership without ethical thinking and consciousness is like a body without a soul,” and said, “The newly established institute will renew the way we think about ethics through diverse academic exchanges and international participation, and will practice ethical leadership within the global community.”

Kim will assume the position of chairman of the Haverford College Board of Trustees starting July 1. While Korean Americans have served as board members at American universities, Kim is the first Korean American to serve as chairman of the board at a prestigious university.

Kim served as a board member of Haverford College from 2005 to 2017. He continues to focus on cultural arts and education, engaging in “impact giving” that creates positive influence.

Selected as a leading philanthropist in Asia by Forbes for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022, Kim donated last year in collaboration with the Korea Foundation and Samsung Foundation of Culture to enhance Korean art exhibitions and educational programs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In September 2022, he donated $10 million USD (approximately 13.8 billion KRW) for the renovation of the Modern Wing, the Metropolitan Museum’s modern contemporary exhibition hall.

In 2021, Kim personally contributed 30 billion KRW to build a public library near Gajaeul Central Neighborhood Park in Bukgajwa-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. This is the largest personal donation in Seoul’s history and the first of its kind for establishing a public library. In recognition of the donor, the library was named the “Seoul Metropolitan Kim Byung-joo Library.” The design has been completed, and the library is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2027.

Since 2007, Kim has been supporting full four-year university tuition for scholarship students through the MBK Scholarship Foundation, which he personally established. The foundation has produced a total of 202 scholarship recipients as of this year. Additionally, Kim fully funded the construction of the Ki Yong Kim Hall dormitory at Haverford College in 2010 and continues to support another alma mater, Harvard Business School.

As an investor, philanthropist, and novelist, Kim currently serves on the boards of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, New York Public Library, and Harvard Business School.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.