George Paik's Life and the Academic Philosophy of University in Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the life of Dr. George Paik who contributed to the establishment of modern university in Korea, to examine his academic pursuit and educational thought on the basis of his Christian faith embedded in his entire life, and to discover the core academic philosophy of Korean university through his life, faith and university education. More concretely, his life shows that he was one of the prominent educators living in the early age of Korean modernization, who dedicated his life to the academic and educational development of Korean university even in his personal difficulties and in the chaotic socio-political situation of Korea as well. Moreover, his efforts in that age were reified not only in his personal academic fulfillment concerning the history of Korean protestant missions, but also in his social activities of constructing the educational framework of modern Korean university. Furthermore, it was his Christian faith called the ‘anchor of soul’ that was the root of all his academic and educational achievements. In addition, the setting on which he had completed them was university, especially Yonsei univeristy, the first modern private university based on Christian spirit in Korea, at which the consequences of his efforts were visualized and characterized as the five academic of Korean university. Indeed, the five academic philosophies discovered from his life, faith, and university education were not only tangible historical fruits of modern Korean university, but also intangible-but-inevitable assets that should continue to be reminded, succeeded, reflected, and developed in the present and the future of Korean university.