Kim Seong-su
Kim Seong-su | |
---|---|
김성수 | |
2nd Vice President of South Korea | |
In office 17 May 1951 – 29 May 1952 | |
President | Syngman Rhee |
Preceded by | Yi Si-yeong |
Succeeded by | Ham Tae-young |
Personal details | |
Born | Gochang, Jeolla Province, Joseon (now South Korea) | October 11, 1891
Died | February 18, 1955 Seoul, South Korea | (aged 63)
Political party | Korea Democratic Party |
Alma mater | Waseda University |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 김성수 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Gim Seong-su |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Sŏngsu |
Art name | |
Hangul | 인촌 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Inchon |
McCune–Reischauer | Inch'on |
Courtesy name | |
Hangul | 판석 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Panseok |
McCune–Reischauer | P'ansŏk |
Kim Seong-su (Korean: 김성수; October 11, 1891 – February 18, 1955), nicknamed Inchon, was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician, and calligrapher. He served as the second Vice President of South Korea from 1951 to 1952. Kim Seong-su founded Korea University and The Dong-a Ilbo. He graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, majoring in Political Science and Economics.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Kim was born in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, Joseon.[2] He graduated from Waseda University in Japan in 1914. From 1897, Kim Seong-su studied under Han Hak-ju. In 1904, he married Go Kwang-seok (
childhood[edit]
During his childhood, Kim Seong-su studied various classical texts at a private school. These texts included "Myeongsimbogam" (
Career[edit]
Following his tenure as principal of a boys' secondary school in Seoul, Kim Seong-su, along with his brothers, established the Seoul Spinning and Weaving Company in 1919.[5] This venture was soon followed by the establishment of The Dong-a Ilbo and other Korean-language publications in the early 1920s.[5] In the 1930s, Kim became the president of Bosung College, and in 1947, he played a key role in the formation of the Korean (Hanguk) Democratic Party,[5] which later merged to form the Democratic Party in 1949.[5] In 1951, he was elected as the vice president, succeeding Yi Si-yeong, but resigned from the role in 1952.[5] After resigning, he returned to the business sector, where he had worked before Korean independence.
In July 1921, Kim was elected as a committee member for the inaugural meeting of the Joseon Industrial Conference. In September of the same year, he became actively involved in The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper as it transitioned to a joint-stock company. Starting in November 1922, he spearheaded the Goods Encouragement Movement through The Dong-A Ilbo.
In March 1923, he participated actively in the campaign to establish a national university in Korea, being appointed as a custodian for the membership fees of the Joseon Minrip University Foundation Association. He resigned from his position at The Dong-a Ilbo in April 1924 but returned in September as an advisor, eventually assuming the roles of President, executive director, and managing director in October. He resigned from these positions in October 1927 and left his directorship at Kyungsung Spinning in March 1928.
In February 1929, Kim, along with seven others including his stepfather Kim Gi-jung, established the Central Institute (중앙학원), a foundation corporation, with a capital of 600,000 won. He took on the role of principal at Central High School in September 1931. In March 1932, he acquired the financially struggling Boseong Professional School and served as its principal until June 1935.
In March 1935, Kim was appointed as the director and board member of the Joseon Commemorative Book Publishing Office. In November, he was named a director of the Sodohoe (
He became the principal of Boseong Professional School again in May 1937 and played a pivotal role in founding Korea University, originally coined as "Ethnic Korean's Korea University" (민족고대). After liberation, Kim Seong-su was approached by patriotic activists to join the newly formed Korean Democratic Party but initially declined. However, after the assassination of Song Jin-woo in December 1945, he reluctantly accepted the position of senior secretary (party leader) of the Hanmin Party due to strong persuasion from his peers. In August 1946, Kim Seong-su established Korea University, building upon the foundation of Bosung Professional School, thereby laying the groundwork for a national private educational institution. In May 1951, he was elected as the second Vice President in the provisional capital of Busan. However, due to irreconcilable differences with President Syngman Rhee, he resigned from the position after just one year.[6]
Death[edit]
Kim died in 1955.[7]
Inchon Award[edit]
The Inchon Memorial Association and Dong-A Ilbo Foundation founded the Inchon Award in 1987 to honor the memory of "Inchon" Kim Seong-su.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "김성수(
金 性 洙)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved November 18, 2023. - ^ Hahm, Hanhee; Jeong, Seongmi; Jeong, Myeonghun; Park, Soon Cheol (December 1, 2014). "Cultural resources and management in the coastal regions along the Korean tidal flat". Ocean & Coastal Management. The Korean Tidal Flat Systems: Ecosystem, land reclamation and struggle for protection. 102: 506–521. Bibcode:2014OCM...102..506H. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.07.011. ISSN 0964-5691.
- ^ 《인촌김성수의 애족사상과 그 실천》(동아일보사, 동아일보사, 1982) 25페이지
- ^ 《인촌김성수의 애족사상과 그 실천》(동아일보사, 동아일보사, 1982) 26페이지
- ^ a b c d e "Kim Seong-su". digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "인촌기념회". www.inchonmemorial.co.kr. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ The Routledge Encyclopedia of Modern Asian Educators: 1850–2000. (2021). United States: Taylor & Francis. p44
- ^ "인촌상 제정취지". Inchon Memorial Association (in Korean). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Works by or about Kim Seong-su at Wikisource
Further reading[edit]
- Choong Soon Kim, Sŏng-su Kim, A Korean nationalist entrepreneur: a life history of Kim Sŏngsu, 1891-1955 (SUNY Press, 1998)
- 1891 births
- 1955 deaths
- People from Gochang County
- Waseda University alumni
- South Korean civil rights activists
- South Korean anti-communists
- South Korean Methodists
- Vice presidents of South Korea
- South Korean journalists
- Korean educators
- 20th-century journalists
- Korean company founders
- Newspaper founders
- Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
- Academic staff of Korea University
- The Dong-A Ilbo people