Kim Seong-su

Kim Seong-su (; October 11, 1891 – February 18, 1955), art name Inchon, was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician, and calligrapher. He served as the second Vice President of South Korea from 1951 to 1952. Kim Seong-su founded Korea University and The Dong-A Ilbo. He graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, majoring in Political Science and Economics.

Early life and education Kim was born in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, Joseon. He graduated from Waseda University in Japan in 1914. From 1897, Kim Seong-su studied under Han Hak-ju. In 1904, he married Go Kwang-seok (高光錫), the daughter of Go Jeong-ju, a resident of Changpyeong in Jeollanam-do. In 1906, he spent six months learning English at the Yeonghaksuk (英學塾) in Changpyeong, where his in-laws lived, together with Song Jin-woo (宋鎭禹). In 1908, Kim Seong-su attended Geumho School (錦湖學校) in Gunsan and then enrolled in Seisoku English School in Tokyo, Japan, in October of that year. The following year, in April 1909, he transferred to the fifth grade of Kinjo Middle School in Tokyo. After graduating in 1910, he entered the preparatory course of Waseda University in April of the same year and then chose the Political Economics department, graduating in 1914. Upon returning to Korea, with the support of his stepfather Kim Gi-jung, Kim Seong-su took over the management rights of Central School in April 1915 after repaying its debts. In March 1917, he elevated Central School to a regular educational institution and assumed the position of principal. In the same year, he acquired Kyungsung Jiknyu Joint Stock Company and began a textile business. He resigned from his position as principal of Central School in March 1918 to focus on business management, but facing decline, he began the establishment of Kyungsung Spinning. Kim Seong-su participated in the early planning stages of the March 1st Movement in 1919. In October that year, he received authorization to establish Kyungsung Spinning. He continued his education with texts like the "Zizhi Tongjian," the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and Chinese history. He also studied Tang poetry, Confucian philosophy, and Neo-Confucianism. Personally, he enjoyed reading historical texts like Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" and the "Three Kingdoms." Although he grew up in a wealthy family, he did not indulge in luxury.

Career

Following his tenure as principal of a boys' secondary school in Seoul, Kim Seong-su, along with his brothers, established the Seoul Spinning and Weaving Company in 1919. This venture was soon followed by the establishment of The Dong-a Ilbo and other Korean-language publications in the early 1920s.

Death

Kim died in 1955.

Inchon Award The Inchon Memorial Association and Dong-A Ilbo Foundation founded the Inchon Award in 1987 to honor the memory of "Inchon" Kim Seong-su.