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EspañolSEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
'Seoul National University' ('SNU'), is a national university, located in Seoul, South Korea. It has historically been considered the most prestigious of all post-secondary institutions in the country.
SNU is also one of the so-called SKY universities in South Korea. The acronym collectively refers to Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University, three of the country's best-known universities.
History
Establishment
Seoul National University was founded on August 22, 1946 by merging ten institutions of higher education around the Seoul area, pursuant to "The Law Concerning the Foundation of Seoul National University." The schools merged were: Kyŏngsŏng University, Kyŏngsŏng Colleges of Law, Industrial Engineering, Mining, Medicine, Economics, Dentistry, the Normal School, the Women's Normal School, and Suwon Agricultural College. The first president was Harry B. Ansted. [1] There were the students and professors severe protesting movements against the law of the US military government in Korea merging colleges for more than one and half years. Finally, 320 professors were fired and more than 4950 students left the school.
The university's second president was Lee Chunho (이춘호; 李春昊), who served beginning in October, 1947.
The college of law was founded by merging the law department of Kyŏngsŏng University with Kyŏngsŏng Law College. The university absorbed Seoul College of Pharmacy in September, 1950, as the College of Pharmacy. This had previously been a private institution. [6]
During the Korean War, the university was temporarily merged with other universities in South Korea, located in Busan.
College of Medicine
Seoul National University Hospital and the College of Medicine trace their history to Gwanghyewon, also known as Jejungwon, which was the first western medical institution of Korea, founded by royal support in 1885. The statement is criticized, however, by many medical historians as being hollow, lacking any tangible evidence. It is widely accepted that Gwanhyewon is instead a direct predecessor to Severance Hospital and Yonsei University's College of Medicine. It is suggested that Seoul National University Hospital and the College of Medicine are related, rather, to Daehan Hospital founded in 1907, which was supported by Japanese Resident-General Itō Hirobumi.
The 60th anniversary commemoration emblem of Seoul National University
Relocation
Originally, the main campus (which embraced the College of Humanities and Sciences and College of Law was located on Daehangno (University Street) in Jongno. Most parts of the university relocated to a new campus in Gwanak in the period between 1975 and 1979. Part of the former main campus in Jongno is still used by the College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry and the College of Nursing and is now called Yeongeon Campus.
In 1975 the main campus of the university moved to the newly constructed Gwanak Campus.
2006 was the 60th anniversary of the university. In January, the university ambitiously announced a 20-year vision to make Seoul National University a world-leading research based university.
Academics
Admissions
Seoul National University is considered one of the most competitive universities in South Korea. From 1981 to 1987, when an applicant could apply only to one university at a time, more than 80% of the top 0.5% scorers in the annual government-administered scholastic achievement test applied to SNU, many of them unsuccessfully. The fraction of SNU applicants among the top 0.1% scorers exceeded 95% . No comparable data are available for direct comparison between SNU and non-SNU applicants after 1988, due to an extensive change in South Korea's college entrance system.
Reputation
SNU graduates dominate South Korea's academics, government, politics and business. The concentration of SNU graduates in legal, official, and political circles is particularly high. Two-thirds of South Korean judges are SNU graduates, although the country's judicial appointment system is based solely on open competitive examinations. In government, slightly more than half of South Korea's elite career foreign service corps, recruited on the basis of a competitive higher diplomatic service exam, are from SNU. Similarly, among the high-ranking government officials who were recruited by an equally competitive higher civil service exam, SNU graduates take up more than 40 percent. On the political side, four out of seven presidential candidates in 2002 were SNU graduates. The school is also often criticized by some South Koreans for being elitist and bureaucratic.
Rankings===The Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings 2006 lists SNU at No. 63.[7]
Campus
Seoul National University is made up of two Seoul-based campuses: the Gwanak Campus is situated in the neighborhood of Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu; and the Yeongeon Campus is north of the Han River in Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu. The main campus in Gwanak-gu was established in 1975 by the SNU Comprehensive Plan. At present, there are about 200 buildings, over half of which have been constructed since 1990. The school’s medical, dental and nursing schools, as well as the main branch of Seoul National University Hospital, are located on the former site of Kyungsung University’s medical department at the Yeongeon Campus. In 2003, the Colleges of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Veterinary Medicine were relocated from Suwon to Gwanak.
Location
The main gate of of Seoul National University, known by its nickname, the ''Sha'' gate
Gwanak Campus, the main campus, is located in the southern part of Seoul. It is served by its own subway station on Line 2. Yeongeon Campus, the medical campus, is located on Daehangno(University Street), northeast Seoul. The defunct Suwon Campus, the agricultural campus, also known as the Sangnok Campus (Evergreen Campus), used to be located in Suwon, about 40 km south of Seoul. The agricultural campus moved to Gwanak in Autumn 2004, but some research facilities still remain in Suwon.
Public transit access
Gwanak Campus
★ Gwanak Campus is served by Seoul National University Station of Seoul Subway Line 2. Although the station is named after the university, it is located about a 1.5 km away from the campus. The university runs shuttle bus between the station and the campus. Also, dormitories can be reached from Nakseongdae Station.
★ Airport bus 603 connects the university with Incheon International Airport.
★ There are several Seoul metropolitan buses that stops by the main gate of the university:
★
★ Trunk buses (Blue): 501, 651 and 750.
★
★ Branch buses (Green): 5412, 5511, 5512, 5513, 5515, 5516, 5518, 5614, 6511 and Gwanak 02.
★
★
★ Noticeably, line 5511, 5512 and 5513 circulate in-campus while other lines just stop by the main gate.
Yeongeon Campus
★ Yeongeon Campus is located near Hyehwa Station of Seoul Subway Line 4.
★ Buses that stop on Daehangno (University Street) connect Yeongeon Campus with other areas:
★
★ Trunk buses (Blue): 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 107 and 109.
★
★ Branch buses (Green): 1012, 1011, 1018, 1019, 2112, Jongno 07 and Jongno 08.
Facilities
Library
Seoul National University Library is located behind the university administrative building in the 62nd block of the Gwanak Campus. In December 31st, 2005, the library’s total collection of books, including all the annexes, was approximately 2.6 million volumes. The present chief librarian, Dr. Park Myeong-jin, professor of media and information in the College of Social Sciences, took office in 2006.
Furthermore, the Central Library has constructed a digital library, which in addition to the regular library collection provides access to university publications, ancient texts, and theses. Included here are countless images of pamphlets, lecture slides, and insects. The digital library also offers access to video of university exhibitions, scientific events, symposiums, and seminars.
The library was first opened in 1946 as the Seoul National University Central Library, inheriting its facilities and books from Kyungsung University. In 1949, the name of the library was changed to the Seoul National University Library Annex. When the main branch of the library was relocated to the Gwanak Campus in January of 1975, it was renamed the Seoul National University Library, and then renamed again in 1992 the Seoul National University Central Library.
In 1966, provisions were made to systematize the library's collections. As the measures came into effect, the original library was organized into 12 separate annexes for each of the university’s colleges: engineering, education, physics, art, law, theology, pharmacology, music, medicine, dentistry, administration, and agricultural sciences. Two years later, in 1968, libraries for newspapers and the liberal arts were added to bring the total number of annexes to 14. However as the main branch was moved to the Gwanak Campus, the education, physics, legal, theological, administrative, newspaper, liberal arts, and pharmacological libraries were combined in a single building. The following year the art and music libraries were also added to the main branch, while the dentistry and medical libraries were amalgamated into one. With the integration of the engineering library into the main branch in 1979, only the agricultural and medical libraries remained as separate annexes. A new law library was established in 1983 with funds from alumni, and in 1992 the Kyujanggak Royal Library was subdivided from the main library as an independent organization and is now known as the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies.
With the transfer of the College of Agricultural Sciences from the Suwon to Gwanak Campus, the Agricultural Library was also moved in 2005. As of 2006 there were seven remaining library annexes for management, the social sciences, agriculture, law, medicine, dentistry, and international studies.
Museum
Seoul National University Museum is located at the Gwanak Campus. It originally opened alongside the university in 1946 under the name, "The Seoul National University Museum Annex." The original 2-story Dongsoong-dong building, which was erected in 1941, had served as the Kyungsung Imperial University Museum until it was transferred intact to SNU. When the museum was moved to the sixth floor of the Central Library, in 1975, it was renamed the Seoul National University Museum. The museum was then moved to newly constructed facilities, next to the Dongwon Building, in 1993, which it has occupied to this day. Dr. Park Nak-gyu is the present director.
Museum of Art
Seoul National University Museum of Art (SNUMoA) was established in 1995, with contributions from the Samsung Cultural Foundation, after a proposal from Dr. Lee Jong-sang, an professor of Oriental Art. Design was by the Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas, with construction entrusted to the Samsung Group. This 4450m² structure sits three stories above and below ground. Its major distinguishing feature is the forward area which almost appears to be floating in the air. Construction was undertaken from 2003 to 2005, just off the Gwanak Campus’ main gate while the opening took place on the June 8, 2006. Dr. Jung Hung-min assumed the directorship of the gallery in 2006.
Newspaper
The first edition of the paper was launched while seeking refuge from the ravages of the Korean War, on February 4th, 1952. In 1953 it was moved to Dongsoong-dong in Seoul, where from 1958 even editions for high school were published. Financial difficulties in 1960 lead the paper to cease printing for a time. It was relocated to the Gwanak Campus in 1975 where it has been in continuous publication until the present day. At the time of its first launch the paper was sold for 500 won a copy, sometimes twice a week. Now, however, it is distributed for free every Monday. The school paper is not available during schools breaks or exams.
Notable alumni
Politics
★ Kang Kum-Sil: 55th Minister of Justice of the Republic of Korea (2003~2004) and potential candidate of the 2007 presidential election.
★ Kim Young-sam: former president of South Korea (1993~1998). Kim's B.A. thesis was on Immanuel Kant's philosophy. According to a SNU medical college graduate who played with Kim in a students' soccer club, Kim transferred to SNU in his sophomore or junior year.
★ Goh Kun: former mayor of Seoul and prime minister of South Korea
★ Ban Ki-moon: current Secretary-General of United Nations; former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea.
★ Chung Mong-jun: Vice president of FIFA
★ Kim Moon-soo: current governor of Gyeonggi-do
★ Han Seung Soo: president of the 56th General Assembly of the United Nations
★ Yoon Young-kwan (Prof.Dr.): former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
★ Chin Dae-je: former Executive of Samsung Corporation and former minister of department of Information and Telecommunication
★ Rhyu Si-min: 2007 presidential candidate, former Minister of Health and Welfare of South Korea
★ Song Du-yul: Professor at Germany's University of Münster who was charged under the National Security Act with spying for North Korea
Science
★ Hwang Woo-Suk: a controversial biomedical scientist
★ Lee Jong-wook: former WHO Directors-General
★ Ko San: Korean astronaut
Entertainment
★ Kim Tae Hee: actress
★ Lee Soo Man: CEO of SM Entertainment
Literature
★ Hong Se-hwa, journalist and progressive political activist
★ Yi Munyol, novelist and political commentator. He attended the College of Education but did not graduate.
★ Lee Yangji, Zainichi Korean novelist[8]
Business
★ Jae-Yong Lee: Executive of Samsung Group
★ Shin Bae Kim: CEO of SK Telecom
★ Seungjin Whang: Professor, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
★ Jong-Yong Yun: Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics
★ Bumsoo Kim: Founder of HanGame and former CEO of NHN
★ Chang-Gyu Hwang: CEO of Samsung Electronics
★ Dongjin Kim: Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motors
★ Yong Nam: CEO and Vice Chairman of LG Electronics
Athletics
★ Enccer: College of Engineering soccer team (official web site)
References
1. Website of Roman Law Study Group
2. Seoul National University Foundation Facts
3. Seoul National University Facts
4. 01
5. 01
6. History of the College of Pharmacy
7. The Times Higher World University Rankings
8.
Further reading
★ Seoul National University, "서울대학교 40년사"''(The 40 years history of Seoul National University)'', 1986.
See also
★ TEPS
★ Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
External links
★ Seoul National University English Website
★ SNULIFE, SNU students' portal site
★ Gwanaksa, students' dormitory of Gwanak Campus
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