Song Ja (born 1936) is a South Korean politician and academic. He has served as chancellor of
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...
and
Myongji University
Myongji University () is a private, Christian university founded in 1948 in South Korea. It provides higher education in the fields of engineering, sciences and humanities. It has two campuses: the Social Science Campus is located in Seoul and th ...
, and as Minister of Education.
Career
Song was named a professor of business management at
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...
in 1977.
He was elevated to the position of twelfth chancellor of Yonsei University in August 1992. In November 1994, Yang Dong-kwan of the Seoul Western District Court ruled that his nomination to the chancellorship had been invalid because he formally had not yet applied for restoration of
South Korean citizenship
South Korean nationality law details the conditions in which an individual is a national of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in the country for at least five years and s ...
at the time, and so was legally
stateless.
Song had naturalised as a U.S. citizen in 1978, but gave up U.S. citizenship in 1984.
However, an appeal court ruled in May 1995 that his lack of citizenship was not sufficient reason to invalidate his nomination. In January 1997, Song announced that he was resigning from his professorship at Yonsei University.
In June 1997, Song was appointed chancellor of
Myongji University
Myongji University () is a private, Christian university founded in 1948 in South Korea. It provides higher education in the fields of engineering, sciences and humanities. It has two campuses: the Social Science Campus is located in Seoul and th ...
, also in Seoul. He became Minister of Education in 2000 during the presidency of
Kim Dae-jung
Kim Dae-jung (; ; 6 January 192418 August 2009), was a South Korea, South Korean politician and activist who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003.
He was a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work for democra ...
.
He was the third former Myongji University chancellor to receive a cabinet position in the past decade.
Personal life
Song was born in 1936 in
Daejeon
Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology and ...
. His family is part of the
Eunjin
Eunjin is a ''myeon'', or rural district, of Nonsan, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitari ...
Song ''
bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
''. He graduated from Yonsei University in 1960 and received a scholarship from the U.S. to study at
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
. He obtained
U.S. permanent residence through
adjustment of status
Adjustment may refer to:
*Adjustment (law), with several meanings
*Adjustment (psychology), the process of balancing conflicting needs
*Adjustment of observations, in mathematics, a method of solving an overdetermined system of equations
*Calibra ...
in 1970.
He is married and has two daughters.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Ja
1936 births
Living people
Song clan of Eunjin
Myongji University faculty
People from Daejeon
Former United States citizens
Presidents of universities and colleges in South Korea
South Korean politicians
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
Yonsei University alumni
Yonsei University faculty
Education ministers of South Korea