Sahmyook University


Sahmyook University is a private, Christian, coeducational university located in Metropolitan Seoul, South Korea. Sahmyook University is part of a worldwide network of Seventh-day Adventist institutions of higher education providing an environment for learning that emphasises individual commitment to Christ, personal integrity, intellectual development, and community service.
The school was founded in 1906 as Euimyung College in Sunahn, Pyeongan-namdo in what would become today's North Korea. It was the first higher education facility started in Korea, and is today the largest university owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In 2016, the university had 6 colleges, including the College of Theology, Humanities & Social Science and Health Science & Social Welfare in addition to 4 graduate schools.

History

Establishment of a mission college

Sahmyook University was founded in 1906 as a small, Seventh-day Adventist school called "Euimyung College" by American Seventh-day Adventist missionaries, with the objective to improve the education of church workers in Korea.
However, while under the rule of Japanese imperialism, the missionaries stopped managing the whole school system due to Shinto worship being enforced by the Japanese rulers. Thus, the school remained closed by the end of the Second World War. After Korea gained its independence from Japan in 1945, the school moved from Sunan and joined with the church headquarters Hoegi, Seoul; The move was completed in 1949.
On the June 25, 1950, the Korean War forced the school to close again. After Seoul was won back in November 1951, the school was relocated to its current location at Gongdeok, Yangjoo, Gyeonggi and reopened. The school was also renamed Sahmyook College, and the minister James Lee was inaugurated as the first president.

Applications

Each January over 10,000 students apply at Sahmyook University. Only about 10 percent, or 1,242, of them are accepted as new students. Non-Adventists have a higher ratio of successful applications compared with Adventist students. The number of Adventist students annually accepted is around 200, or about 1 in 6.

Institutes and Research Centres

The university has the following research institutes:
Sahmyook University co-sponsors Adventist Colleges Abroad, a program in which qualified students study overseas while completing requirements for graduation at Sahmyook University. Undergraduate students may also study abroad. Affiliation and Extension Programs are offered in Puerto Rico, South Africa, Mexico, England, Jamaica, Canada, Romania, India, Russia, Thailand, Italy, Ukraine, Bolivia and the United States.

Notable people

Notable alumni