![Soongsil University](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Soongsil_University.jpg)
Soongsil University (SSU) is the first modern university in Korea, dating its history back to 1897. It was founded under the Christian missionary
William M. Baird. The campus is located in 369 Sangdo-ro,
Dongjak-gu
Dongjak District (Dongjak-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' that make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Its name was derived from the Dongjaegi Naruteo Ferry, on the Han River which borders the district to the north. It was the 17th ''gu'' create ...
,
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
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 Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
History
Soongsil University was founded on October 10, 1897, in
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
as a private school by
William M. Baird, a missionary of the
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Board of Foreign Missions. In 1900 the school was developed into an official 4-year junior high school. In October 1901 the school was named ''Soongsil Hakdang'' (, Soongsil Academy). The name ''Soongsil'' roughly means "Revering
od( ''soong'') with Truth and Integrity ( ''sil'')".
In 1905 the academy established courses for students. In 1906 the academy again was permitted by presbyterian and Methodist missionary bodies to establish a university department. The academy was called Union Christian College (합성숭실대학), which was later authorized as a university by the Korean government in 1907.
In 1925 the school was forcibly reduced to a 4-year technical school of humanities named (崇實專門學校, pronounced ''Sūjitsu Senmon Gakkō'' in Japanese). On March 4, 1938 the school closed itself in order to protest against the enforcement of
Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
worship.
In August 1945 Korea was liberated from Japanese colonialism, but the effort to restore the Soongsil College did not succeed until after the end of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. In April 1954 Soongsil College was reestablished in South Korea and in June 1957 it moved to the present-day Sangdo-dong Campus. In 1971 the College was merged with Daejun College (, not to be confused with present-day
Daejeon University
Daejeon University is a private university located in Daejeon, South Korea. The current president is Lim Yong-Cheol (임용철). About 230 instructors are employed. The university also operates four Oriental medicine hospitals, two in Daejeon an ...
) into Soongjun College (). In December 1971 the College acquired a university status. In December 1982, Daejeon Campus of Soongjun University was separated and renamed
Hannam University
Hannam University (한남대학교) is a private Christian university in Daejeon, South Korea. It was founded in 1956.
Transition
In February 1959, Linton (W.A.) was inaugurated as the first president of Daejeon University. The university has ...
. In November 1986, Soongjun University was renamed Soongsil University.
Reputation
Soongsil is a private Christian University located in the heart of Seoul. It has a low acceptance rate and a high admission barrier. Students must reach within 5~7% in the Korean SAT to be accepted within the most competitive majors such as business and global commerce. Soongsil's IT, economic, business, and social welfare majors are considered especially strong. Its business school has the 10th biggest number of alumni with CPAs. Its computer science field, which Soongsil was a pioneer in Korea, is currently ranked second after Seoul National University. This gives the graduates a much better opportunity in landing a job at the biggest IT giants such as Samsung, Google, and LG. Social welfare program at Soongsil University has high reputation in Korea as a leading institution of social work education, retaining unchanged high ranking in social work education evaluation for decades. According to a ranking made by ''
JoongAng Ilbo
''The JoongAng'', formally known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'', is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also publ ...
'', a Korean newspaper, it regularly ranks within the top 20 best universities.
International students
Soongsil University is home to a large community of foreign students, partly due to its "Vision 2020" plan, which aims to substantially increase its foreign clientele.
The university is surrounded by bars, karaoke and restaurants, the gathering place of the international community is located at the "C-Bomb" bar.
An alcoholic beverage, the Taximansi (contraction of "taxi" and "calamansi") created by a foreign student is now a symbol of Soongsil's student culture.
Foreign students are welcomed by "SISO" (Soongsil International Student Organization) a student organization aimed at helping foreigners throughout their stay.
Soongsil students who volunteer as members of SISO are selected through a vigorous vetting process.
Undergraduate schools
* College of Humanities
* College of Natural Sciences
* College of Law
* College of Social Sciences
* College of Economics & Global Commerce
* College of Business Administration
* College of Engineering
* College of Information Technology
* Baird University College (College of Core & Specialized Education)
* School of Finance
Graduate schools
* General Graduate School
* Special Graduate Schools
** Graduate School of Industry
** Graduate School of Small Business
** Graduate School of Information Sciences
** Graduate School of Labor & Industrial Relations
** Graduate School of Social Welfare
** Graduate School of Education
** Graduate School of Christian Studies
** Graduate School of Global Business
Institutes
* Library and Center for Academic Information
* The Korean Christian Museum
* Educational Institutes
** Continuing Education Institute
** Soongsil Language Institute
** Youth Education Institute
* Research Institutes
** Institute of Korean
Christian Culture
Christian culture generally includes all the cultural practices which have developed around the religion of Christianity. There are variations in the application of Christian beliefs in different cultures and traditions.
Christian culture has ...
** Institute of Humanities
** Institute of Future Technology
** Institute of Legal Studies
** Institute of Natural Sciences
** Institute for Business & Economic Strategies
** Center for Computer Aided Molecular Design Research
** Institute of Social Sciences
** Institute of Information and Media Technology
** Project Management Center
** Center for Small & Medium Business Industrial and Academic Cooperation
** Institute of High-Tech IT Convergence
** Institute for the Gifted & Talented
** Business Institute of Information Science
** Institute of Korea Lifelong Education & HRD
** Center for Regional Innovation
** Institute of Management Innovation and Evaluation
** Institute of Social Welfare
** Institute of Underwater Acoustic Communication
** Institute of Korean Traditional Literature and Art
** Center for Ubiquitous Network Research
** Center for Electronic Microsystem Packaging
** Center for University & Industrial Cooperative IT Training and Education
** Institute of Cultural Content Technology
** IT Center for Sensory Research
** Institute of Cultural Missionary Work
** Institute of Small Business Creation and Management
** Institute of Artificial Intelligence Robot Development
** Soongsil Institute of Christian Counsels
** Institute of Industrial Economics Research
Notable people
*
Park Won-sang
Park Won-sang (born January 20, 1970) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theater
Ambassadorship
*Ambassador for 1st Democratization Movement Memorial Park Joint Memorial Cultural Festival (2022)
References
External ...
, actor
*
Park Joo-Ho, footballer
*
Park Moon-Seong
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
, commentator
References
External links
Official Website
Official Website
{{Authority control
Universities and colleges in Seoul
Educational institutions established in 1897
Private universities and colleges in South Korea
Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia
1897 establishments in Korea
Dongjak District