Konkuk University was established as Chosun School of Politics, a junior college for future political leaders, by Dr. Yoo Seok-chang. Thirteen years later, the school became a "comprehensive university" and changed its name to Konkuk, which means "founding a nation" in Hanja (Chinese characters) as firm believers in the role of higher education in maintaining Korea's sovereignty, the founder and his supporters chose the name in the hopes that Konkuk graduates would build and serve the nation. As of 2016, Konkuk University has two campuses—the main campus in Seoul and the Glocal campus in Chungju—with approximately 29,000 students enrolled.
Konkuk University has played an important role in Korea's development by raising leaders. The late Dr. Seok-chang Yoo established a small non-profit hospital and the university in 1931 and 1946 to serve the people and the country. Konkuk is carrying on this legacy as a comprehensive private university.
Against this background, the Konkuk University Foundation has focused on capacity building through aggressive large-scale infrastructure projects at the turn of the century and shifted the university administration paradigm as we open a new chapter in history.
Besides, Dr. Yoo was aware that the limited space would not be sufficient to provide future agricultural leaders with ample hands-on experience. Despite the severe financial difficulties and skepticism after the Korean War, he boldly executed a move to Seoul's current location. Thanks to Dr. Yoo's generous endowment and education philosophy, Konkuk University leads in agricultural and life science research and excels in many other areas today. Furthermore, Konkuk University has undergone significant transformations in the past decade, earning the title of "the fastest growing university in Korea."
Konkuk offers comprehensive English courses, and international students also have many opportunities to learn Korean culture and language by mingling with their Konkuk classmates. Hence, a diverse group of international students studies at Konkuk every semester. In the spring semester of 2018, more than 1,200 undergraduate students were pursuing their undergraduate degrees at Konkuk. There were an additional 130 participants in Konkuk's exchange and visiting student programs during the same period. Approximately 100 students also came to Konkuk for short-term summer programs in 2017.
Education shall aim at enabling every citizen to lead a life worthy of humankind and to contribute to the development of a democratic state and the realization of an ideal of human co-prosperity, by ensuring cultivation of character, development of abilities for independent life and necessary qualities as a democratic citizen under the humanitarian ideal.
The purposes of universities and colleges are to develop students' personalities, teach and research the academic theories of sciences and arts necessary for the development of the State and human society, and methods of application thereof and contribute to the State and human society.
