Soongsil University launches global drive for 130th anniversary with alumni meeting in New York, New Jersey

Soongsil University is charting a course for global advancement as it approaches its 130th anniversary in 2027. University Chairman Oh Jeong-hyun met with alumni in the New York and New Jersey areas to share the institution's mid-to-long-term development strategy and seek their support for a new era of growth.

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Soongsil University is a proud school that protected its faith and national spirit by refusing to participate in shrine worship during the Japanese colonial period and voluntarily closing down.

The gathering served as a platform to reflect on Soongsil's historical identity and communicate its future vision. Alumni president Rev. Park Sung-won lauded the university's legacy, emphasizing its courageous decision to dissolve during the Japanese colonial period rather than compromise its faith and national spirit. This act, he noted, cemented Soongsil's place as the first national university to contribute significantly to Korea's independence and modernization.

Chairman Oh detailed Soongsil's forward-looking plans, stressing the need to build upon its rich history as Korea's first Christian university to lead in the future. He highlighted key initiatives such as establishing a medical school, advancing its law school program, and enhancing competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT). Oh asserted that Soongsil must evolve beyond adapting to change and instead cultivate talent that pioneers the future, contributing to Korea and the world through Christian principles and academic excellence.

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Soongsil must become a university that cultivates talent that leads the future, not just responds to the times.

Furthermore, Oh revisited the vision of restoring the Pyongyang campus of Soongsil University. He described this as a symbolic endeavor to reaffirm the university's identity and mission, rooted in its origins in Pyongyang. This restoration, he argued, aligns with the university's historical responsibility to remember its roots and prepare for a future of reunification.

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The restoration of Pyongyang Soongsil is not just a recovery of space, but a symbolic task to re-establish Soongsil's identity and mission.

Alumni present at the meeting resonated with the university's direction and pledged ongoing support for its endeavors, particularly in light of the upcoming 130th anniversary. Chairman Oh underscored that Soongsil's progress depends not only on faculty and students but also on the prayers, cooperation, and dedication of its global alumni community, expressing hope for a unified effort to shape the university's future.

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Soongsil's development cannot be completed by the efforts of faculty and students alone; it can lead to greater results with the prayers, cooperation, and dedication of domestic and international alumni.