Posthumous Honorary Degree Awarded to Dosan Ahn Chang-ho

- Dosan Studied at Underwood School for Two Years

In 1896, shortly after China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, and just before the establishment of the short-lived Korean Empire, a young man of eighteen read a pamphlet given to him by a white missionary in front of the Chongdong Church in central Hanyang (Seoul).  “Believe in Jesus Christ!  You will have a roof over your head, be fed, and learn!,” was the missionary’s message to this young man.  Such was Dosan Ahn Chang-ho’s introduction to the “new academics” of the Underwood School, or Guse Hakdang (救世學堂), recently established by the American missionaries Dr. Horace N. Allen and Dr. John W. Heron.  The forerunner of Yonsei University, the Underwood School was designed to educate orphans, teaching them Western science, Korean, and English.  In 1915, it was renamed Chosen Christian College, with Dr. Horace G. Underwood as the first headmaster, and, in 1917, the school officially became Yonhee College. Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (1878-1938) was to become one of Korea’s leading nationalists and independence activists.  Born in Kangso, Pyeongan-do in present-day North Korea, Dosan left home for Seoul in 1894, converting to Christianity and entering the Underwood School two years later.  Sustained by his Christian faith, Dosan would go on to establish a church in Pyongyang, while doggedly pursing a variety of projects—including the Shinminhoe (New Korea Society) and the Hung Sa Dan (Young Korean Academy or YKA)—meant to modernize and educate the Korean people, while forging a unified national consciousness. Dosan’s efforts to modernize and liberate the Korean peninsula were connected with Yonsei in several regards.  His brother-in-law, Kim Chang-se, graduated from Severance Union Medical College in 1916 and later taught there as a professor of medicine.  Baek Nak-joon, Kim Yoon-kyoung, Cho Byoung-ok, Lee Yoon-jae, and many other Yonsei students took part in Dosan’s YKA project.  And, on a personal note, Dosan married Ms. Lee Hye-ryun in the chapel at Jejungwon (Severance Hospital), with his headmaster from the Underwood School, Rev. F. S. Miller (Min Noah), officiating at the ceremony.          In 1937, Dosan was apprehended by the Japanese Imperial Police for his independence activities.  When interrogated by the authorities, Dosan defiantly told them:  “I think about Korean independence even in my sleep.  I will keep fighting for it until death.”  Transferred to Seodaemun Prison, he was subjected to harsh torture; and while he was eventually released on bail, his body was irrevocably damaged.  Dosan passed away on March 10, 1938, seven years before Korea achieved its independence from Japan.  Seventy-five years after his death, and 117 years after he began his studies at the Underwood School, Dosan, whom Rev. Miller called a “brilliant student,” has been awarded an honorary diploma by Yonsei to recognize his sacrifices and spirit of freedom.  The ceremony took place on November 8 in the Yonsei-Samsung Library, with Dosan’s maternal grandson, Philip Ahn Cuddy, accepting the diploma on his grandfather’s behalf.  Visibly moved, Mr. Ahn Cuddy reflected on the significance of the event:  “I am very happy to receive this honorary diploma in place of my grandfather.  I am very proud of him.  He exemplified the qualities of service, leadership, and sincerity, and I hope that his life and sacrifices can serve as an example to today’s youth.”