Welcome to the Korean Heritage Room!

After more than 8 years of arduous work by the Korean community of Pittsburgh, administrators of the University of Pittsburgh, government officials, donors, and supporters in both the U.S. and South Korea, the Korean Heritage Room was finally completed in the fall of 2015 and handed over to the care of the University of Pittsburgh on November 15, 2015. Built in Room 304 of the Cathedral of Learning, the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh, it is the newest addition – the 30th room – to the University’s Nationality Rooms Program.

The room is modeled after Myeongnyundang (“Hall of Enlightenment”), the main lecture hall of Sungkyunkwan, the Royal Academy of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty period. Its construction materials were all prepared in South Korea and shipped to Pittsburgh in the spring of 2015. Then, Korean artisans and craftsmen flew to Pittsburgh and reassembled the materials over the summer.

The room also houses various artifacts, including a prince’s matriculation book from the 1800s, traditional stationery items, such as ink stone, brush, and paper, and panels about Hangul, Korean alphabet, so that visitors can familiarize themselves with Korea’s culture and education. This room is used as a permanent space to promote Korea to visitors as well as a lecture venue for students of the University of Pittsburgh.

Besides, the Korean Heritage Room serves as a key platform for cultural exchanges and global education in Pennsylvania. The KHR Committee organizes or participates in a variety of events to represent Korean culture, and sponsors the Nationality Rooms Scholarship to help students of the University of Pittsburgh study abroad in South Korea.

KHR Committee