Chairman Message
Gangneung Yeongdong University is a prestigious private institution for higher education in the central part of South Korea, which has a long history of 60 years with about 30 thousand alumni. Some of the alumni have firmly established themselves as important figures, particularly in the fields of health, medical, tourism, and restaurant business. Currently, around 2,300 students are studying hard in the Gangneung campus in order to become future talents who will contribute to the country and the local communities with the help of about 200 professors and faculty members.
Gangneung is no longer confined to the center of Gangwon Youngdong region; it is making a big leap to become a world-class city. Its turning point was the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. KTX has made it possible to connect Gangneung with Seoul in two hours, making it practically within the range of the metropolitan area. In addition, Yangyang International Airport and Donghae International Passenger Terminal, located nearby, are quickly increasing the accessibility from abroad. The number of tourists is already high, recording thirty million tourists every year.
In this notable city, Gangneung Yeongdong University completed constructing the new “Happy Dormitory” (2017) and the PyeongChang Winter Olympics short-track ice rink for practice (2018). In addition, we have made remarkable educational achievements including succeeding in being selected as a “Higher Vocational Education hub district (HiVE)” in 2021 by the Ministry of Education and being the only community university to receive the “Excellent Achievement Award” at the 2022 Industry-Academic Cooperation EXPO. More and more graduates are showing their achievements including being the first Korean head chef of a five-star hotel and taking top place in the national dental hygiene examination.
The society is changing so rapidly that we find it hard to keep up with it. Education is no exception. Nonetheless, we should try to respond to the changes that take place in education. This is the task faced by Hyunsong Education Foundation that marks its 60th anniversary. We will make redoubled efforts to help Gangneung Yeongdong University take a leap forward under the direction of Hyun In-suk, the new President with dynamic and forward-looking mindset.
Thank you.