I am now the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times. I also worked as the managing editor of the newspaper for 26 months from April 2018. Before that my stints included Politics Desk editor, Business Desk editor, City Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. As a journalist of The Korea Times, the most influential English newspaper of Korea, I have been committed to promoting 'international justice' beyond the social justice pursued by vernacular papers. My career includes working as a visiting scholar in Britain's Cambridge University from 2006-07.
Kyungmin College focuses on practical education based on filial piety
By Shim Jae-yun
The so-called “hyo” (孝: filial piety) and (忠: allegiance or loyalty) have long been traditional values that are probably most cherished in Korea. These values appear to be in dire need nowadays, when quick-witted selfishness is usually preferred to respect and consideration of others including parents, in particular.
The need seems all the more urgent when people are desperate to seek a better school background and more wealth rather than mental and emotional significance.
Given this, Kyungmin College is drawing attention as it focuses on hyo and chung alongside highly practical programs for students, in a rare case among domestic higher learning institutes.
Departments are meant to provide students with higher opportunities to get jobs after graduation for instance, as a hotel chef, cartoonist or animator, furniture/interior designer, beauty skin care specialist and preschool educator among others.
“We are eager to raise human resources capable of contributing to the nation based on the traditional value and state-of-the-art skills and affluent knowledge society needs,” college President Hong Moon-jong said in an interview with The Korea Times.
“The cartoon and animation department, for one thing, has seen more than 90 percent of students readily being employed,” Hong said.
The relevant class, thus, is almost empty with many having found jobs already ahead of graduation slated for early next year.
The college, which was established in 1968 as a Christian institute, has been playing the role of the center for charity and volunteer work, while dedicating itself to promoting northern Gyeonggi Province, which had relatively lagged behind its southern counterpart due mainly to security reasons — being adjacent to North Korea.
A graduate of Harvard University, Hong has also been gearing up to spur globalization through the setup of cooperative ties with 25 noted universities from 25 countries including the United States, China, and Australia.
The college is mainly composed of students eager to get a vocational education. “Well aware of the needs of the students, we have been seeking to inspire them to have a new dream to realize themselves through new jobs and precious values of filial piety and faithfulness based on Christian belief,” he said.
The significance of psychological values cannot be overemphasized as it can be the grounding of a national identity for the perpetuity of the state. “Though now defunct Manchuria dominated China once, it no longer exists as it lacked its own cultural foundation centered on mental values,” Hong said.
As part of efforts to spread the value of filial piety, the college has been holding the “HYO Cartoon Competition” since 2009 for domestic students and is planning to expand it to an international event receiving applicants from countries around the world from next year.
As a former two-term lawmaker, Hong dreams of “grand politics” embracing both globalization and localization for the benefits of many including his students and Gyeonggi Province residents.
His efforts toward globalization seem to be gaining impetus on the basis of the very local values of hyo and chung.