Yonsei University

This article refers to the South Korean private university. For the fourth-generation Japanese American Yonsei Japanese-American, see Japanese American.

Yonsei University
연세대학교

Motto	The truth will set you free. (John 8:32) 진리가 너희를 자유롭게 할 것이다. (요한복음 8:32)
Established	Hospital established in 1885 by royal support, college installed in 1915. The university was established in January 5 1957 by merger of two.
Type	Private
Staff	5,155
President	Jung, Chang-yeong
Faculty	3,397
Students	35,132
Undergraduates	24,474
Postgraduates	10,658
Location	Seoul, South Korea
Campus	Urban
Mascot	Eagle
Website	www.yonsei.ac.kr/eng/

Yonsei University
Hangul 연세대학교 Hanja 延世大學校 Revised Romanization Yeonse Daehakgyo McCune-Reischauer Yŏnse Taehakkyo

Yonsei University (IPA: /'jənsɛː/) is a private, coeducational university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is recognized as one of the prestigious private universities in Korea, and Korean people often express this by saying that it is part of the "SKY" universities, along with Seoul National University and Korea University in South Korea.

The university was formally established in January, 1957 through the union of Yonhi College and Severance Union Medical College. This was a result of a lasting bilateral cooperation between the two colleges which had begun much earlier, in the 1920s. The institutions were new to Korea at the time of their inception — Yonhi was one of the first modern colleges, founded originally as Chosun Christian College in March, 1915, and Severence has its roots in the first modern medical center in Korea, Gwanghyewon, founded in April, 1885. As a tribute, the name 'Yon-sei' was derived from the first syllables of the names of its two parent institutions.

History

Beginnings (1885 - 1916)

The Yonsei University Medical School dates back to April 10, 1885, when the first modern hospital to practice western medicine in Korea, Gwanghyewon (광혜원 廣惠院, House of Extended Grace), was established.

The hospital was founded by Horace Newton Allen, the American protestant missionary appointed to Korea by the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A (from here on the Church). The hospital was renamed Jejungwon (제중원 濟衆院, House of Universal Helpfulness) on April 23. As there appeared numerous difficulties, the Church appointed Oliver R. Avison to run Jejungwon on July 16, 1893. Initially, Gwanghyewon was financed by the Korean government, while the medical staff was provided by the Church. However, by 1894 when the First Sino-Japanese War and Gabo reforms took place, the government was not able to continue its financial support and thus, management of Jejungwon now came fully under the Church.
In 1899 Avison returned to the US and attended a conference of missionaries in New York where he elaborated on the medical project in Korea. Louis H. Sevrance, a businessman and philanthropist from Cleveland, Ohio, was present and deeply moved. He later paid for the major portion of the construction cost of new buildings for the medical facility. Jejungwon was renamed Severance Hospital in his name.

Jejungwon (later Severance Hospital) was primarily a hospital but it also performed medical education as an attachment. The hospital admitted its first class of 16 medical students selected through examinations in 1886, one year after its establishment. By 1899, Jejungwon Medical School was independently and officially recognized. Following the increase of diversity in missionary denominations in Korea, collaboration began to form — with time, Jejungwon began to receive medical staff, school faculty and financial support from the Union Council of Korean Missionaries (한국연합선교협의회) in 1912. Accordingly, the medical school was renamed Severance Union Medical College in 1913.

The rest of Yonsei University traces its origins to Chosun Christian College (조선기독교대학), which was founded on March 5, 1915, by another American protestant missionary sent by the Church, Horace Grant Underwood. Underwood became the first president, and Avison vice president. It was located at YMCA. Courses began in April with 60 students and 18 faculty members.

Underwood died of illness on October 12, 1916, and Avison took over as president.

Under Japanese Rule(I) (1917 - 1936)

On August 22, 1910, Korea was effectively annexed by Japan with the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. The first Governor-General of Korea, Terauchi Masatake, introduced Ordinance on Chosun Education (조선교육령) in 1911, and subsequently Regulations on Professional Schools (전문학교 규칙) and Revised Regulations on Private Schools (개정사립학교 규칙) in March, 1915. These were intended to stifle private education in Korea; any establishement of schools, any change in school regulations, location, its purpose, coursework or textbooks must all be reported to and authorized by the governor-general, and all courses must be in Japanese. Severance Union College struggled to meet these requirements; school regulations and coursework were altered, faculty evaluated and enlarged, its foundation and its board clarified. It received its recognition as a professional medical school on May 14, 1917. In 1922 the governor-general Makoto Saito issued Revised Ordinance on Chosun Education (개정조선교육령). It called for more strict qualification of the faculty, and Severance reacted obediently and further recruited more members with degrees from creditted institutions in North America and Europe. Japan did not completely ignore the competence of this institution; in 1923 Severance recovered its right to give medical license to its graduates without state examination, a right which had been lost since 1912. Moreover in March, 1934, Japanese Ministry of Education and Culture further recognized Severance in allowing its graduates the right to practice medicine anywhere within Japanese sovereignty.
Oh Geung Seon (吳兢善) became the first Korean president of Severance in 1934.

Ordinances in 1915 and 1922 also affected the fate of Chosun Christian College. First intended as a college, it was not legally recognized as such, since the Ordinance (1915) did not allow the establishment of Korean private colleges. Hence Chosun Christian College, now renamed Yonhi College, was formally accepted only as a professional school on April 17, 1917, then a joint project from diverse missionary denominations. However, Yonhi in reality had formed the organization and faculty becoming a university; it consisted 6 departments: humanities, agriculture, commerce, theology, mathematics & physics, and applied chemistry. The ordinances, furthermore, prohibited coursework in Korean history, its geography, or in Bible outside the department of theology; council of missionaries reacted with A Resolution on the Revised Educational Ordinance (개정교육령에 관한 결의문) which carefully pointed out that Japan did not apply such rigorous absurdities to its private schools in mainland Japan.
After March First Independence Movement swept the peninsula in 1919, Japan somewhat relaxed its grip on Korea, and this is reflected in the Ordinance (1922). It ceased the arbitrary control of governor-general over the coursework and the qualification of faculty members, and altered its stance on strict separation of religion from all education. It also recognized Yonhi as a professional school equal to its counterparts in Japan, and permitted the Christian programs and the Bible in its coursework. Nevertheless, Japanese literature became mandatory in turn.
Under Japanese intervention, Korean history was taught under the name Eastern History and Korean language was taught whenever possible.
Yonhi was liberal in its admission of non-Christians. Its policy was to admit non-Christians relatively freely and allow the majority Christian students to gradually influence and assimilate them.
Both Severance and Yonhi were closely involved in independence movements. Many faculty members of Severance and Yonhi were directly involved in the March First Independence Movement, as were their students. Severance continued its contribution by printing The Independence in the basement of one of its buildings, and Yonhi was as active as any other school, so that by the end of the movement only 17 students were left. Yonhi students were active participants of Chosun Student Council for Scientific Research (조선학생과학연구회), which was one of the leading groups in the Mansei movement of June 10, 1926. Yonhi Student Council and many faculty members belonging to the clandestine Shin Gan Society (신간회 新幹會) gave full support to the Gwangju Student Movement; in the aftermath, students were apprehended, and Shin Gan Society was exposed. Later on, students actively participated in V Narod (브나로드) and Student Enlightenment Movement (학생계몽운동) during 1929 - 1930.

Under Japanese Rule(II): The War Machine (1937 - 1945)

In the late 1930s, Japan again shifted its policy towards Korea in order to incorporate it to its scheme of expansionism. In August, 1936, the new Japanese Governor-General Jirō Minami began the assimilation of Koreans, in order to exploit them for military purposes; Governor-General enforced Sōshi-kaimei and Shintoism on Koreans, and began to recruit Koreans for Japanese war efforts. In April,1938 the third Ordinance on Chosun Education ordered the acceptance of Shintoism, voluntary removal of Korean language in coursework and further intensification of Japanese and Japanese history education. However, Yonhi Professional School did not follow suit and opened courses on the study of Korean language in November, 1938. This was not tolerated for long and in March, 1940, Yonhi was forced to open courses on Japanese studies for each department and each year. From 1938, English also began to come under pressure following a deterioration of relations between Japan and United States; coursework in English was forbidden and texts of English writers were censored. In 1938, President H.H. Underwood accepted the practice of Shintoism to avoid the fate of Yonhi's termination. Governors-General pushed Yonhi to refuse financial support from United States and financial difficulties amounted.
On individual level, Yonhi faculty members and its students were apprehended or investigated during this period for their involvement in real and alleged resistance movements.
In 1939, the United States government recalled all its citizens and missionaries in Korea; Underwood and some of the faculty refused to leave Korea until forced to in 1941-1942 following the outbreak of the pacific war. Japanese military officers were dispatched in Yonhi for military training of its students in 1940 and forced labor began in 1941. Scientific equipments, building parts, and even the Underwood statue were seized then the school yard was turned into drill ground. On August 17, 1942, the board was dismissed and Yonhi was designated as enemy property, and thus was appropriated and further managed directly by an apointee from the Governors-General. Yonhi ceased to be a place of education and was converted into a tool for assimilation of Koreans and exploitation of manpower. By October, 1943, students were practically being conscripted. In 1944 dormitories were converted into barracks and campus was occupied by the Japanese air force. Finally, on May 10, 1944, Governors-General closed Yonhi and replaced it with Kyungsung Industrial Management School (경성공업경영학교), the primary purpose of which was to train engineers required to continue the war.

Due to their value in the time of war, medical students of Severance were not a target of "voluntary recruitment," but Severance also faced Sōshi-kaimei, military training, and constant surveillance by the Japanese authorities. Severance was coerced into changing its name to Asahi(旭) in 1942.

Liberation and the Korean War (1946 - 1952)

Severance was now approved as a college by the liberated Korean government in 1947. Since the majority of medical institutions in Korea was run by the Japanese, medical staff and faculty were in short supply after their departure. Thus many members of Severance staff and faculty left Severance to assist other institutions. Severance also took up the role of student leadership, and was outspoken against US-Soviet occupation. In 1950, during the outbreak of the Korean War Severance functioned as a field hospital until Seoul was overrun. Severance fled hurriedly but some faculty members and students were unable to leave in time; some were killed and others were captured then exploited by the advancing North Koreans. Severance seniors joined the military as army surgeons. Although Severance returned to Seoul for a while after its recapture, it had to flee again in December on a LST in Incheon. When Severance arrived in Busan, its medical school joined the wartime college, a temporary body. Meanwhile, the Severance facility in Seoul received heavy damage, as it was located in the center of the city near the Seoul station. Severance Hospital again returned on April 1, 1952, and its medical college on June 12, 1952.

The US Military initially neglected the restitution Yonhi and held other plans to utilize it as a military hospital or judiciary training center. With time, nevertheless, Yonhi came to be viewed as a missionary institution that was dispossessed by the Governor-General. Yonhi was able to open its doors again on January 21, 1946 and on August 15, 1946, was recognized as a university. Baek Nak Jun became president. It was a period of transition, and Yonhi University faced numerous obstacles including financial ones; it was after 1947 that things settled down. At the time, Korea lacked teachers and Yonhi was asked to provide education and training; Temporary Training Center for Secondary School Teachers in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry (임시 수물화학과 중등교원양성소) was established. In December, 1948, plans for unification of Yonhi and Severance began to take form. Graduate School was formed in July, 1950.
It was at this point that all progress came to a halt due to the Korean War. The university suspended all courses on June 27 and recruited student soldiers. The North Korean military advanced into Yonhi campus and established its headquarters there. This was a cause of severe damage to the campus when the US military recaptured Seoul in September. The university reopened following the recapture of Seoul, but it was once more on the run to Busan in December. On February, 1951, Yonhi joined the wartime college; however, Yonhi kept an independent body and opened its own courses on October 3, 1951. On April 15, 1953 Yonhi began its work on restoration; Yonhi returned to its campus in the fall.

1953 - 1959

In 1957, Severance Medical College and Hospital and Yonhi University merged to form Yonsei University. Today, Yonsei operates its main campus in Seoul and a satellite campus in Wonju, Gangwon Province.

Sources: The sections Beginnings, Under Japanese Rule(I), Under Japanese Rule(II): The War Machine, Liberation and the Korean War are largely based on 연세대학교백년사 100 Years of Yonsei University History, Yonsei University Press.

Reputation

Yonsei is regarded as one of the most prestigious in South Korea. Yonsei University belongs to a group of three universities in Korea nicknamed "SKY" schools. The acronym was coined from the initial letters of the three highly exclusive universities in Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The general notion is that the alumni of the "SKY" schools have, more or less, held major positions in diverse fields in Korean society for decades. Therefore an admission into these three universities is arguably considered the first step into the high society. Unsurprisingly, this widely accepted view fuels tough competition in high school education in Korea..

University shield

The "ㅇ" and "ㅅ" in the University shield are derived from the first letters of "연세"(Yonsei). The circle "ㅇ" represents the ideal of a complete and well-rounded person, while the "ㅅ" symbolizes the upward-looking strife for scholarly excellence. In addition, the "ㅇ" stands for Heaven, the "-" represents the horizon of the Earth, and "ㅅ" signifies "Man" as expressed in the Chinese character (人). The open book stands for Truth, the torchlight signifies Freedom, and the shield protects these two core principles of the University.

Yonsei University is also the home of the most reputable Korean language Institute in Korea. Yonsei KLI caters to students studying Korean from all parts of the world with a focus on Grammar and Writing.

Organization

Colleges Seoul Campus University College College of Liberal Arts College of Business and Economics The School of Business College of Science College of Engineering College of Theology College of Social Sciences College of Law College of Music College of Human Ecology College of Education Science College of Medicine College of Dentistry College of Nursing Underwood International College Wonju Campus College of Humanities and Arts College of Sciences and Technologies College of Government and Business College of Health Sciences Wonju College of Medicine

Graduate Schools Graduate School United Graduate School of Theology Graduate School of International Studies Graduate School of Information Graduate School of Communication and Arts Graduate School of Social Welfare Graduate School of Business Administration Graduate School of Education Graduate School of Public Administration Graduate School of Engineering Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduate School of Law Graduate School of Human Environmental Sciences Graduate School of Economics Research Institutes University-wide Research Institutes Intercollegiate Research Institutes College Affiliated Research Institutes Foreign Language Institute Medical Center Severance Hospital

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• List of colleges and universities in South Korea
• Education in South Korea

Notable Alumni

• Literature
  • Yun Tong-ju: Poet

• Business
  • Kim Woo-jung: Former founder and CEO of Daewoo Corp.
  • Bang, Woo Young: Honorary President and former CEO of Chosun Daily Newspaper
  • Lee, Jae Woong: Founder and CEO of Daum Communications
  • Song, Ja: Former President of Yonsei University and current CEO of Daekyo
  • Park, Sam Koo: CEO of Kumho Group
  • Choi, Do suk: CFO of Samsung Electronics

• Politics and Government
  • Kim, Hak-Su, UN Under-Secretary-General
  • Kang, Young Woo.Member Natl Council On Disability Status
  • Han, Seung-Soo President of Fifty-Sixth United Nations General Assembly
  • Kim, Woo Sik: Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology
  • Yun, Kwan : Former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Korea

• Sports and Entertainment
  • Bong, Joon Ho, Movie Director, The Host
  • Hu, Jung Moo: Former coach of Korean National Soccer team
  • Im, Sung Hoon: Popular show host
  • Kim, Dong Ryul: Former member of 'Exhibition'
  • Park Jin-Young: Popular musician, CEO of JYP Entertainment
  • Yoon, Jong Shin: A pop singer, debut album 'In the Empty Street'

External links

• Yonsei University (Korean / English)
• Yonsei Korean Language Institute
• "Yonsei's Songdo Campus Feared to Touch Off Property Speculation", The Korea Times, January 31, 2006.
• Division of International Education and Exchange - organizing exchange student program, interntaional summer session and other inter-university study programs.
• Global Lounge

SKY Universities of Korea

Seoul National • Korea • Yonsei

Administrative divisions (Gu) of Seoul

Dobong-gu · Dongdaemun-gu · Dongjak-gu · Eunpyeong-gu · Gangbuk-gu · Gangdong-gu · Gangnam-gu · Gangseo-gu · Geumcheon-gu · Guro-gu · Gwanak-gu · Gwangjin-gu · Jongno-gu · Jung-gu · Jungnang-gu · Mapo-gu · Nowon-gu · Seocho-gu · Seodaemun-gu · Seongbuk-gu · Seongdong-gu · Songpa-gu · Yangcheon-gu · Yeongdeungpo-gu · Yongsan-gu

Wonju Campus Language Instititute http://ysli.com)