Late student gets honorary certificate

The late life sciences student Jang Se-min, left, poses with his father and younger brother before his death in this file photo. / Courtesy of POSTECH

By Yoon Sung-won

The late life sciences student Jang Se-min has received an honorary completion certificate from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH).

According to the university, it granted the certificate to the late student Friday to commemorate his dedication to the study of life sciences.

“Though his time at the university was short, he was an impressive student with academic passion and dedication,” said Kim Kyung-tae, a life sciences professor at POSTECH. Kim, who used to be Jang’s academic advisor, petitioned the university administration to grant the late student an honorary completion certificate.

“He also had a positive mind and a lively nature, which helped him make good relationships with other students. If he could have continued studying, I am sure that he would have become a sincere life scientist,” Kim said.

Born in 1992, Jang was brought up in a Christian family and learned about the theory of evolution from the “Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin. Jang started college in 2012 at one of the nation’s top science and technology academic institutions. But his time at the university was ended in the summer of 2012 after a sudden deadly accident, the university said.

POSTECH said it has decided to grant the certificate four years after his death because the late student’s father Jang Byung-kang wanted his son to have a graduation ceremony with his classmates. In February last year, Jang’s younger brother Se-yoon followed his late brother and entered POSTECH as an engineering student.

“I remember my younger son bursting into tears before his brother’s grave holding the acceptance to the university in his hands,” Jang said.

He has raised a scholarship fund with condolence money collected during his son’s funeral and plans to provide a part of it to POSTECH students.

“It is not a great amount of money. But I wanted to help my son’s juniors study at the university,” he said.