Dean Earl Martin and Dean Seong Kwon of Inha University School of Law celebrate the signing of the MOU.

The Gonzaga University law faculty recently approved two Memoranda of Understanding entered into by Dean Earl Martin with law schools in China and South Korea.

The schools are the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL) in Chongqing, China, and the Inha University School of Law, located in Incheon, South Korea.

These schools are two of the four (three in China and one in South Korea) that Dean Martin visited on a 10-day trip to Asia in November, 2008.

SWUPL, which was founded in 1953, is one of the leading law schools in China. It houses 11 schools on two campuses, with a total enrollment exceeding 20,000 students.

Chongqing is the largest and most populous of China’s four provincial-level municipalities, and the only one in China's less-densely populated western region. Formerly a sub-provincial city within Sichuan Province, the municipality of Chongqing has a registered population of over 32,000,000.

Inha University is a private, doctoral-granting university founded in 1954. It has 10 undergraduate colleges and nine graduate programs, including its School of Law. Inha was one of only 23 institutions selected by the South Korean government to launch graduate-level law schools. The first class of law students began their studies this spring semester.

The Memoranda of Understanding anticipates faculty and student exchange programs, and the possibility of Spokane-based and overseas summer programs.  The first activity to result from these partnerships will occur during the 2009-10 academic year, when Gonzaga Law School will host five students from SWUPL.