Kyung Hee University

History

Kyung Hee University began in 1949 as Sin Heung Junior College, a 2-year college. It was named for the 1911–1920 Sinhŭng Military Academy, which trained militant Korean independence activists. Amid the financial crisis of the Korean War, Young Seek Choue bought the struggling school in 1951 and had it accredited as a 4-year undergraduate college in 1952. In 1954, the graduate school was established. The college was renamed to Kyung Hee University in 1960.

The university hosted the 1968 conference of the International Association of University Presidents, first proposed in 1981 the UN International Day of Peace, organized the 1999 Seoul International Conference of NGOs, held the 2009 World Civic Forum, ran the 2011 UNAI-Kyung Hee International Symposium, and has spearheaded the Global Common Society movement.

In 1993 Kyung Hee received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. In 2006, Kyung Hee and the University of Pennsylvania initiated the Penn-Kyung Hee Collaborative Summer Program and two years later, a formal Global Collaborative Archived 2016-01-19 at the Wayback Machine with Peking, Ritsumeikan, and Moscow State universities, with the cooperation of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the Conference of NGOs (CoNGO).

Symbols

The university emblem is the Chinese character for "university" (it was changed in 2016 to the symbol of a book) and has a world map in the background. This symbolizes Kyung Hee's vision for globalization as well as an open mind and humanism for the world. The university character mark is visualized through the mane of the Laughing Lion, the torch which sheds light on the truth, and the dove, an international symbol of peace. Sports teams and various university promotional products use the character mark to proliferate Kyung Hee's brand value throughout the world. Magnolia is the official flower of Kyung Hee University and the magnolia logo embodies the qualities that Kyung Hee stands for such as resilience, beauty, generosity, and unity.

Academics

Undergraduate colleges

College of Humanities

College of Law

College of Politics and Economics

College of Management

College of Hotel and Tourism Management

College of Science

College of Human Ecology

College of Medicine

College of Korean Medicine

College of Dentistry

College of Pharmacy

College of Nursing Science

College of Music

College of Fine Arts

School of Dance

Department of Global Eminence (formerly College of Law)

College of Engineering

College of Electronics & Information

College of Software

College of Applied Sciences

College of Life Sciences

College of International Studies

College of Foreign Language and Literature

College of Art & Design

Graduate schools

Graduate School (general)

Graduate School of Business

Graduate School of Education

Graduate School of Public Policy and Civic Engagement

Graduate School of Journalism and Communication

Graduate School of Physical Education

Graduate School of Technology Management

Graduate School of International Legal Affairs

Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies

Graduate School of East-West Medical Science

Graduate Institute of Peace Studies

Graduate School of Tourism

Graduate School of Art and Fusion Design

Professional Graduate School of Medicine

Professional Graduate School of Dentistry

Law School

Graduate School of Biotechnology

Notable academic programs

Founded in 1948 as Dongyang College and reorganized in 1965 into the Kyung Hee College of Korean Medicine (KHKM), KHKM is one of eleven Korean medical colleges in the country, dedicated to the study of traditional medical practice. In 1972 its researchers demonstrated a drug-free acupunctural anesthesia. In 1998 Kyung Hee established the International Studies of Korean Medicine to broaden its reach to international scholars. The following year it established the Graduate School of East-West Medicine Science (GSM) in order to blend Eastern and Western diagnostic methods. The College of Korean Medicine and the Graduate School of Medicine have integrated the two traditions within the Kyung Hee Medical Center and active collaboration occurs between the college and the biomedical engineering department on acupuncture therapy, chronic medical conditions, palsy, and geriatric diseases.

The medical center is divided into the General Hospital, Dental Hospital, Korean Medicine Hospital, East-West Medical Center, and the Medical Science Research Institute. In a 1999 study, the Kyung Hee Korean medicine curriculum consisted of 60 percent Eastern and 40 percent Western research and practice.

The Dept. of Physical Education at KHU was set up as the Dept. of Physical Education in Korea in 1949 and became a stepping stone to play a pivotal role in Korean Physical education. It was promoted to the College of Physical Education upon completing the construction of the largest gym in Asia in 1955. The doctoral program was opened in 1980 for the first time in Korea. Currently, five departments are operated within the College of Physical Education: Physical Edu, Sports medicine, coaching, Golf Management, and Taekwondo.

Campus

Kyung Hee University has three campuses. The university's original campus is Seoul Campus (245 acres), located in the Dongdaemun District of Seoul, and established in 1954. In 1979, the university established its second campus, the Global Campus (510 acres) in Yongin, near Suwon. In 1984, the university established its third campus, Gwangneung Campus (12 acres) in Namyangju, just outside of Seoul. Gwangneung Campus is home to the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies.

Facilities

Central Museum

It was opened in October 1955 and later moved to the fourth floor of the central library building in November 1966 when the central library was completed. In 2001, it was registered as the 1st National Museum of Korea (Ministry of Culture and Tourism Registration No. 193) and then recommissioned and computerized the collections and launched the Internet search service in January 2004.

Natural History Museum

Kyung Hee University's Natural History Museum is a museum established and operated by Kyung Hee University. It opened on June 13, 1978, and houses some 90,000 specimens and natural materials such as rocks, minerals, mammals, birds, insects, fish, and plants. Each category includes 1,200 rock and mineral samples, 5,000 bird and mammal samples, 50,000 insect specimens, and 4,000 plant specimens.

Hye Jung Museum

The Hye Jung Museum is the first high-level museum to be established in Korea. From the 11th century to the 20th century, it has the largest collection of materials produced in Korea, including antique maps, lighting, and related historical materials.

Programs

Global Collaborative

The Global Collaborative is a summer program that allows international students to attend classes led by scholars and engage in discussions about global governance and sustainability. The Global Collaborative is co-run by the University of Pennsylvania, Peking University, Ritsumeikan University, and Moscow State University with the cooperation of the United Nations and the Conference of NGOs (CoNGO). Through research, education and modules on global governance, or sustainability and the environment, international students collaborate on research projects.

World Civic Forum

Run as a join initiative with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the World Civic Forum (WCF) is a global institution that brings together academic institutions, international organizations, civil society, governments, the business sector and the media to create programs in education, research, and practice related to the challenges of making the world a better place to live. Held concurrently with the World Civic Forum, the World Civic Youth Forum focuses youth on contemporary global issues, civic values, engagement, and action.

Global Service Corps

The Global Service Corps emphasizes peace studies in new forms of public service. Launched in September 2010, the effort is placed on volunteering, social responsibility, social services, and regional and global engagement in areas such as rural farming communities, environment protection, and medical treatment of the disadvantaged. The program aims to seek means to address institutional engagement in global problems through research, education and practice, and media. Collaborations are with the United Nations, international NGOs, corporations, and other organizations.

Global Studio Network

The Global Student Network links by the internet diverse institutes and individuals around the world to overcome communication beyond barriers of language and culture. The network works with both local and international organizations to encourage discussion. Previous strands have included environmental issues and conflict resolution with the United Nations and UNESCO.

Global Academy for Future Civilizations

The Global Academy for Future Civilizations is a set of international research organizations dedicated to creating a more humane civilization in the 21st century. The program works with the United Nations and other organizations.

United Nations Academic Impact

The university and the United Nations Academic Impact program seek to align institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting the principles of the UN in the areas of human rights, literacy, sustainability and conflict resolution. The Academic Impact also asks each participating college or university to demonstrate support of at least one of those principles each year.

Research institutes

Seoul campus

International Studies of Korean Medicine

Institute for Human Society

Institute of Korean Archaeology and Ancient History

Research Institute of Social Science

Research Institute of Humanities

Research Institute for Educational Affairs

Institute of Legal Studies

Institute for Industrial Relations

Korea Institute of Ornithology

East-West Medical Research Institute

Research Institute of Oral Biology

Institute of Global Environment

Institute of Korean Medicine

East-West Nursing Research Institute

The Contemporary Art Research Institute

Kohwang Medical Research Institute

Research Institute of Science for Human Life

Center for the Study of Languages

East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute

Research Institute of Clinical Nutrition

Tourism Industry Information Research Center

Global campus

Institute of Global Affairs

Center for Cross Culture Studies

Institute of Social Science and Policy

Design Research Institute

Plant Metabolism Research Center

Impedance Imaging Research Center

Hye-Jung Cultural Research Institute

Skin Bio-Technology Center

Industrial Liaison Research Institute

Institute of Natural Science

Institute of Life Science and Resources

Research Institute of Sports Science

Institute of Multimedia Technology

Materials Research Center for Information Display

Regional Innovation Center-Components and Materials for Information Display

Rankings

For 2020, Kyung Hee University was ranked 6th in South Korea, 40th in Asia, and 247th in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings. The university's Hospitality and Leisure Management program was ranked 50th in the world in 2018, the highest of all of the school's program areas.

In 2023, Kyung Hee University was also ranked 6th overall in South Korea by the JoongAng Ilbo University Rankings, one of the most influential national university evaluations in the country.

Notable alumni

Politics, government and public service

Moon Jae-in – 12th President of South Korea

Kim Jung-sook – First Lady of South Korea

Steven Seokho Choi – California State Assemblyman

Kim Dae-Jung – 8th President of South Korea

Literature and arts

Han Su-san – author

Cho Hae-il – author

Jeong Ho-seung – poet

Kim Jong-ok – author

Won Tae-yeon – poet

Kwak Jae-yong – film director, screenwriter

Sports

Yeo Hong-chul – gymnast, Olympic silver medalist

Yun Mi-jin – archer, Olympic gold medalist

Lee Ho-Suk – short track speedskater, Olympic gold medalist

Kong Young-il – one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo

Dai-won Moon – Mexican martial artist, known as the "Father of Mexican Taekwondo"

Park Jong-hwan – former manager of the South Korea national football team

Kim Jong-kyu – basketball player

Lee Woon-jae – football goalkeeper, former member of the South Korea national football team

Park Kun-ha – former football player, and coach of the South Korea national under-23 football team

Lee Jung-soo – football player

Lee Ho – football player

Yoon Kyung-shin – handball player

Entertainment

Bang Yong-guk (B.A.P)

Byun Baek-hyun (EXO)

Cha Hun (N.Flying)

Cho Hye-ri (Wax)

Cho Kyu-hyun (Super Junior)

Cho Yi-hyun

Choi Whee-sung

Do Kyung-soo (D.O of EXO)

Go Joon-hee

Gong Yoo

Han Da-min

Han Ga-in

Han Seung-yeon (Kara)

Hwang Hee

Hwang Seung-eon

Hwang Soo-jung

Hwang Yoon-seok (Hwanhee of Fly to the Sky)

Im Chang-kyun (I.M of Monsta X)

Im Hyun-sik

Im Jung-eun

Jang Do-yeon

Jang Seo-hee

Jang Su-won (Sechs Kies)

Jeon Ji-yoon (4Minute)

Jo Kwon (2AM)

Jun Kwang-ryul

Jung Yoon-hak

Jung Ji-hoon (Rain)