In this blog post, I’ll summarize my motivations for applying to the Department of History at Kyung Hee University, as well as what I learned and how I prepared, focusing on my academic work, school activities, and leadership experiences during high school.
Academic and Extracurricular Experiences
Academic Efforts
As a student with a deep interest in Korean history, I always looked forward to my Korean history classes. I would ask various questions during every Korean history class to drive the discussion, and by actively participating in class activities, I developed a deep understanding of the subject. As I decided to apply to the Department of History, I spent a great deal of time reflecting on the question, “What is history?” After much contemplation, I resolved to cultivate an attitude of researching and studying the essence of any event, recognizing that history can be studied in diverse ways by historians and interpreted differently by each individual. Consequently, throughout my school years, I focused on understanding diverse historical perspectives and events, and I concentrated on activities where I would seek out books to compare and analyze viewpoints that contradicted what I had learned.
Whenever there was something I didn’t understand from what I learned in school, I would jot it down in a separate notebook and analyze the causes and consequences of the event. I also built up my historical knowledge by reading various history-related books, such as ‘Battleship Island’, ‘The Unfinished War’, ‘Stories of Independence Activists’, and ‘A Biography of Yeo Un-hyeong’. Whenever I struggled to grasp the flow of a topic while studying, I would create my own timelines and blank maps, writing down my personal understanding of history in my notebook. As I encountered the numerous historical sources supporting a single event and the various ways they could be interpreted, I became deeply fascinated by history and immersed myself even more deeply in my studies. The history notebook I created was another work of art that reflected my unique understanding of history, and as a result of those efforts, I received the Grand Prize in the Korean History category at the school’s Humanities and Social Sciences Critical Thinking Competition.
Believing this study method would be even more effective for social studies, I introduced it to my mentee, and together we improved our academic performance and achieved excellent results. Furthermore, as this study method received a positive response, I was featured in a newspaper article as a school representative, which gave me a great opportunity to share my unique study method with many students. Through this experience, I realized the joy of learning and sharing, and I developed a historical perspective through a deep understanding of history.
School Activities
The “Regular Wednesday Protests for Comfort Women” served as a catalyst for me to recognize the tragic history and the reality of grossly inadequate compensation. During a Korean history class, I voluntarily prepared a presentation to critique Japan’s distortion of history, including the “Imna Japanese Province” theory and the colonial historiography. While preparing this presentation, I focused on finding rational historical evidence and seeking fundamental solutions rather than addressing historical issues emotionally.
As the club president, I planned and led the club’s Wednesday rallies to raise awareness among more people about the gravity of the “comfort women” issue and to urge Japan to offer a genuine apology. At the time, to foster a sense of historical awareness among club members, I organized an essay contest for my schoolmates on the theme “What if it were me?” After the Wednesday rallies, I sold bracelets to support the comfort women survivors, organized a Dokdo flash mob, and hosted a “History Golden Bell” quiz, taking it upon myself to serve as the school’s history ambassador. I also displayed history-related articles I had clipped from the internet on the bulletin board in an effort to raise awareness of South Korea’s history.
My friends who read the articles thanked me for sharing facts they hadn’t known before, and I felt a sense of pride seeing them engage in even brief conversations about historical issues. Through this experience, I began to reflect on what it means to be a history teacher—my dream—and had the opportunity to consider what kinds of activities could help students feel more connected to history, rather than simply learning it from textbooks.
Newspaper Clipping Discussion Activity
Through my independent club activities, I was able to develop a broad perspective on the world. Believing that anyone studying history should embrace diverse viewpoints, I began clipping editorials from the Chosun Ilbo and the Hankyoreh to compare their differing perspectives. However, I realized that simply clipping articles wasn’t enough for in-depth learning, so I founded the independent club “Agora” to share diverse opinions with my friends.
Every week, after clipping newspaper articles, we presented our views and engaged in free-flowing discussions, which helped us cultivate an attitude of understanding others’ values. In particular, while attending a lecture on refugees, we compared the perspectives of the United States and European countries on addressing international issues, and club members and I led discussions by representing the positions of various nations around the world. Through this, I gained insight into the historical issues and vested interests of various countries entangled in international issues, and by engaging with diverse current affairs, I developed a broad perspective on the world.
Building on these experiences, I will not neglect my studies as a history major at Chung-Ang University. I will study and research history under the guidance of our outstanding faculty and strive to develop the qualities necessary to become a history teacher.
Empathy and Leadership
During my sophomore year, I was elected class president on a friend’s recommendation, but less than a month later, my homeroom teacher left the school. With communication with the teacher cut off, my classmates began exhibiting irresponsible behavior—such as skipping evening self-study sessions, causing disturbances during study periods, and arriving late—and the class atmosphere deteriorated, leading to frequent conflicts. As the class president, I reminded myself of my responsibilities to foster a focused learning environment that would not falter despite the teacher’s absence, and I convened a class meeting to explore solutions.
We wrote down areas for improvement on slips of paper, placed them in a box, and took turns drawing five slips each week to discuss and incorporate everyone’s suggestions. Through this process, I learned to listen to my classmates’ opinions and developed an attitude of compromise and acceptance. Rather than immediately reprimanding classmates who were being noisy, I thought about how to change the class atmosphere without hurting their feelings, and I created and implemented a “one student, one role” system. This activity was designed to instill a sense of responsibility by assigning each class member a small role.
As a result, we were able to create a more positive learning environment than before, and when our new homeroom teacher took over, we were praised for setting an exemplary example. Watching my classmates change, I felt a sense of responsibility as a leader and the satisfaction of guiding change in the right direction. I learned that a true leader is someone who leads collective development by setting an example, and that cooperation is the most important aspect of organizational life.
Motivation for Application and Preparation Process
The Department of History at Kyung Hee University was an attractive option for me, as I wanted to learn accurate history and share it with as many people as possible. Since the department’s establishment, it has been actively engaged in historical education and research, and I felt there would be much to learn from its outstanding faculty. I was drawn to the Department of History at Kyung Hee University because of its substantive educational program, as I wished to conduct historical research at a broader and more specialized academic institution.
I grew up reading biographies of world-renowned figures and books on Korean history, and, believing that history is our very foundation, I never neglected my studies in the subject. I harbored a dream of becoming a history teacher one day and contributing to the development of South Korea, and my parents nurtured this dream by taking me to historical sites such as the Independence Hall of Korea and various museums. Building on this foundation, I poured my passion into history during school classes, acquiring diverse knowledge through active questioning.
In particular, serving as president of the history club was a deeply memorable experience. I joined the club to compare and analyze various historical sources and gain more historical knowledge, and I carried out various activities such as producing a history newspaper and researching and presenting on independence activists. I oversaw the editing and planning of a history newspaper covering the April 19 Revolution and the Jeju April 3 Incident, and after reading the book ‘1,129 Days of the Korean War’, I participated in events such as writing letters to invited public figures and submitting book reports, sharing my reflections on the book.
In Korean history class, I was nicknamed the “Question King” for constantly asking questions and discussing them with friends, which helped broaden my historical perspective. In the Goryeo Foreign Relations class, I experienced the perspectives of various countries through role-playing and put in significant effort to understand and summarize the causes and consequences of historical events. When learning about the opening of the country and modern reforms, I developed an attitude of embracing diverse historical viewpoints by logically presenting evidence-based arguments from multiple perspectives.
I developed a keen interest in late Joseon diplomatic relations by writing reports on Grand Prince Heungseon’s isolationist policy and the subsequent events, and by asking my teacher questions about them. I believe that the historical knowledge and passion I have accumulated thus far will serve as a solid foundation for further growth as a student in the Department of History at Kyung Hee University.
