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| Lee Wang-yul |
By Choi Kyong-ae
"Know something of everything and everything of something!" is the advice given by Lee Wang-yul, the Guinness World Record holder for having the highest number of diplomas and certificates at 116.
"I have had some difficulties to complete each academic course as it took a lot of money, time and energy, the 74-year-old told The Korea Times. "But now I feel proud of my past achievements of earning seven regular diplomas and 109 non-regular diplomas over the past four decades."
In December 1993, Lee was awarded a Guinness certificate with the greatest number of diplomas and certificates ever, 61. Afterwards, he made it a rule to enroll in and complete a new course all through his life.
He was born in 1942 in Gumi, South Gyeongsang Province, and couldn't have a regular school education from elementary to high school due to a lack of tuition money. He later passed a school qualification examination for high school and college entrance.
To finance his tuition fees, he worked during the day and studied at night, mainly taking evening-time courses. For 14 years from the age of 30, he worked for Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
Reflecting on his past, Lee said scholarships and the salaries he earned at the construction firm helped him continue his studies.
"In the late 1970s, I studied foreign languages at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and trade at Korea University's Graduate School of Business Administration," he said. "It was the start of my four-decades-long academic journey."
The driving force behind his continued studies were the "priceless" meetings he had with his classmates.
"As I took school qualification exams to enter high school and college, I didn't have a chance to make friends and build relations. Advanced academic courses offered me opportunities for insight into the world through executive classmates," he said.
He enrolled in various programs including advanced management at globally prestigious universities such as George Washington University, Harvard, Oxford, Peking University and Moscow State University, to name a few.
"After earning all of the diplomas and certificates, I still have a keen interest in business administration," he said. "I still find countless interesting academic courses and I have recently registered for some of them."
On a daily basis, he reads major newspapers and enjoys newspaper clippings. On a weekly basis, he attends academic seminars held by research institutes and government agencies.
"To stay healthy, I prefer to take the bus or subway or walk depending on the weather and condition instead of driving my BMW sedan in my garage," he said.
Lee, nicknamed Dr. Guinness, currently serves as Dean for International Relations at Lincoln University and works as a coordinator for doctoral students.
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