Hongik university has a long history. It was here even before the Korean War. Our school has important story to tell. In this section we will dive into some interesting facts you may not know.

If you think of the word “Hongik” you might imagine King Dangun, who is the founder of the first Korean kingdom. Actually, our school was built by the people of Daejongkyo*, who believe in Dangun as a god.

In 1946, believers of Daejongkyo, who were suppressed by the Japanese until World War II, finally experienced Korean independence and moved their head office back to Seoul. The first thing they attempted after relocation was building a school which could provide students with a better education. As a result, in May, 1947, Hongmoon-daehakgwan** (홍문대학관) was built and its first classes started that same year.

The early Hongik University was quite different from the one of today. Primarily, the only departments the school had were Literature, Law, and Social Sciences. In those days, the strength of the school was liberal arts, not art or engineering. However, our school added more departments, such as Political Science, English Literature, Socialogy, and Arts to be recognized as a four-year university.

However, the school’s success couldn’t continue for long, because of the Korean War. After the war broke out, the school moved its campus to Busan, where it was safer from North Korean troops. Even with the severe war environment, Hongik University turned out its first 59 graduates during the war. After the war ended, the school relocated to where it is now.

After the relocation, the school faced another difficulty: the May 16 Military Coup. During this period, the school closed all of the departments except Fine Arts and Design under the government’s control. Because of the pressure from the government, the school changed its name from Hongik College to Hongik Art College, and it was the time when the Art Department grew in the school.

In 1964, the school put a lot of effort to save the closed departments. It organized 10 main departments, including Architecture. Seven years later, the school got recognized as a university by taking over the Soodo College of Engineering in 1971. In the 1980s, the school reorganized some of its departments. In 1987, the school reformed the College of Business Management to the College of Business Administration. In the same year, the school established the College of Law and Economics. Later, the College of Law and Economics was split into the College of Law and the Department of Economics.

The school expanded its size by building more campuses and constructing facilities. In 1988, the school purchased 151,250 square meters of land in Sejong City and established the second campus, which is also known as Jochiwon campus. Later, in 2002, the school built its third campus which is known as Daehakro campus in Daehakro.

In 2006, Hongik University had its 60th anniversary. To celebrate the anniversary, the school completed construction of Hongmun Hall, which earned the title of “Largest University Gate” in the world from the Guinness Book of world record.

To deal with growing numbers of enrollment, the school decided to build student dormitories. Our school’s first student dormitory was built in 1988. However, 28 years later, the school couldn’t accommodate the growing number of students with the first dormitory. So, the school built its second student dormitory in 2016 and it became one of the biggest buildings in the Seoul campus. In 2017, it constructed a third dormitory off campus.

With all this information, we can look at our campus with new set of eyes and enjoy and admire its history and the beauty that it offers.

*Daejongkyo: Korean native religion believing in the legendary King Dangun who built and ruled over the first Korean Kingdom.

**Hongmoon-daehakgwan: The first name of Hongik University when it was built in 1947.

SooAh Lee  victorahhhn@gmail.com

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