Keijō Imperial University was an Imperial University in Keijō (Seoul), Korea, Empire of Japan that existed between 1924 and 1946. The university was seen as the preeminent educational institution in colonial Korea. Upon the 1945 liberation of Korea, it was briefly renamed Kyŏngsŏng University, was seized by the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) in 1946, and reorganized into its successor: the present Seoul National University.

History

In 1923, an organization called the Korea Private University Foundation Committee was formed. Its founding leader was Yi Sang-jae. In response to their activism, the Japanese Government-General of Chōsen agreed to a proposal to found a university in Korea. Keijō Imperial University was founded in 1924. For the first two years, students were enrolled only in the preparatory education division (予科), which was similar to the Higher Schools in mainland Japan, except it was a year shorter and included Japanese language instruction for Korean students, as most faculty members were Japanese. When the first group of students completed their preparatory education in 1926, three-year programs for law and literature were introduced, along with a four-year medical program. They began gradually adding new programs over time, based on what was deemed important for colonial Korea. An article in the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture argues that science and engineering programs were deliberately not introduced until around Japan's entry into World War II. The article argues this was because Japan wanted to avoid disseminating technical and scientific knowledge to Koreans. Research activities were limited, and there were maximum quotas for how many Koreans were allowed to be admitted. An alumnus of the university testified in 2010 that bureaucrats were held in much higher esteem than engineers and scientists in colonial Korea, which led to the law program becoming excessively popular. In 1928, a hospital affiliated with the university finished construction. In April 1929, it graduated its first class of 90 law and literature students, 22 of whom were ethnic Koreans. In 1930, it graduated its first class of 55 medical students, with 12 Koreans. In March 1934, it extended the liberal arts program to three years. In 1938, it established a science and engineering department, and increased the class sizes for that program in 1941. After the liberation of Korea, Keijō Imperial University was renamed to "Gyeongseong University". After the war, it was no longer considered a Japanese university, and it was closed by the USAMGIK on August 22, 1946, under US Military Ordinance No. 102. While speaking to Korean officials, the U.S. Military Governor stated that the U.S. "gave a basic law enacted which will place our national university on a level equal to the best in the world." The remaining properties of Keijo University merged with Gyeongseong Industrial School, Gyeongseong Mine School, Gyeongseong Medical School, Suwon Agriculture School, Gyeongseong Economics School, Gyeongseong Dental Medicine School, Gyeongseong Normal School and Gyeongseong Women's Normal School into Seoul National University. Additionally, Seoul National University College of Medicine was established in 1946 through the merger of Keijō Medical School and Keijō Imperial University.

Activities

Keijō Imperial University published original articles and abstracts in journals including Shinkeigaku-zassi (Neurologia), Seishin-shinkei-gaku zassi (Psychiatria Et Neurologia Japonica), and The Journal of Chosun. The Keijō Imperial University research team organised and conducted field studies on sampling of blood typing, as well as physical anthropology research from people representative of the Korean peninsula. The gathering of men and women by local police and administrative power had been conducted as measuring them was necessary for the progression of Keijō Imperial University's physical anthropology research. In 1937, Keijō Imperial University extended its research of physical anthropology field studies to Manchuria and China. Keijō Imperial University's field studies in Korea, Manchuria and China were financially supported by the Japanese government and research foundations. Controversies surrounding Keijō Imperial University's research of physical anthropology and blood typing is related to the use of a racial index [R.I. (= A%+AB%/B%+AB%)]. Professor Ock Joo Kim of Seoul National University states “the Japanese researchers put Koreans as a race between the Mongolian and the Japanese. The preoccupation with constitution and race also pervasively affected the medical practice: race (Japanese, Korean, or Japanese living in Korea) must be written in every kind of medical chart as a default”.

Faculties and divisions

Law and literature

Medicine

Engineering and natural science

Statistics

1930s

For Korean individuals, admission into Keijō Imperial University was a very competitive process as the admission of Korean students was restricted to between one-fourth and one-third of the total number of enrolled students at Keijō Imperial University. By 1930, six years after Keijō University was established, the number of enrolled students was at 520. This was equivalent to 6.7 percent of the number of students enrolled at Tokyo Imperial University. Japanese students made up the majority of the students enrolled. Amongst two thousand graduates during the colonial period, the number of Korean graduates was at seven hundred, the other thirteen hundred being Japanese. In 1934, the total enrolment of the Keijō Imperial University was 930 students. The percentage of Korean students which made up this number was of 32%. Although the Korean percentage rose in the coming years, namely in 1942 where the percentage of Korean students was at 39%.

1940s

In 1943, Keijō Imperial University had 67 professors and 203 students who were Japanese. Three professors and 170 students were Korean.

Graduate statistics

150 students received a doctor of medicine degree from Keijō Imperial University.

Faculty and alumni

Presidents

Faculty

Most of the staff at Keijō Imperial University specialised in the fields of physical anthropology, publishing and composing a series of works on Korean physical anthropology which were included within the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon.

Alumni