SKKU boasts of Asia's oldest university

SKKU boasts of Asia's oldest university with over 600-year-long history

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) was founded in 1398 as the highest national educational institute in the early years of the Chosun Dynasty in South Korea. As the oldest university in Asia, it has fostered leaders of the Korean society for more than 600 years. '修己治人,' pronounced as 'Su-Gi-Chi-In,' SKKU's main ideology, teaches that SKKU students sincerely strive to perfect themselves to contribute to the society.

Old Sungkyunkwan was established over 600 years ago by royal decree to promote the scholarship in Confucianism. As a nation's highest educational institution, old Sungkyunkwan went through vicissitudes with the country it had served. Though a long history alone cannot guarantee the excellence of an institution, the rich culture, which exudes from a profound tradition, is surely a unique and valuable asset of the school.

It would be misleading, however, to view the school merely in the context of its pre-modern history. SKKU also takes pride in the school's innovative spirit. As a result of the never-ending efforts to place natural sciences on an equal footing with its strong foundation in humanities, SKKU now operates two campuses: the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus and the Natural Sciences Campus. 

Relying upon a highly successful partnership with Samsung, a Korea-based leading global IT giant, which has generously funded several core initiatives, the school has been alleged to be rapidly developing and prospering since 1996. Mr. Kim Junyoung, President of SKKU stressed: "Under the catch-phrase 'Unique Origin Unique Future,' SKKU continuously pursues to integrate its foundation philosophy with the modern technology with a vision of cultivating global talents who will lead the 21st century."