Sahmyook University Holds Memorial Autobiography Publication Ceremony for Late Professor Im Jeonghyeok

Late Professor Lim Jeong-hyeok (Provided by Samyook University)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 13th, Sahmyook University announced on the 14th that it held a publication commemorative event for the revised edition of the autobiography of the late Professor Im Jeong-hyeok, titled "Because of This Fierce Storm," at the Centennial Memorial Hall on campus.

The late Professor Im Jeong-hyeok was a representative female educator of the Korean Seventh-day Adventist Church. As a modern new woman of the dawn era, she graduated from the Department of Liberal Arts at Ewha Women's College (the predecessor of Ewha Womans University) in 1930 and taught students for one year at Sunan Uimyung School (the predecessor of Sahmyook University) that same year. From 1935, she worked as a professor at Ewha Women's College for nine years, and after liberation, she joined Sahmyook Theological Institute (the predecessor of Sahmyook University) in 1952, dedicating 20 years until 1972 to teaching English, tailoring, family relations, and home management.

While serving as a professor, she published "New Healthy Cooking," leading the pioneering promotion of vegetarian lifestyle at the time. She devoted her personal funds to cover the entire construction cost for the dormitory of the Department of Home Economics (the predecessor of the Department of Food and Nutrition) and donated substantial scholarships to help underprivileged students. Her son, Dr. Jeong Tae-geon, who is practicing medicine in the United States, also followed his mother's will by donating a large sum to Sahmyook University, contributing to the university's development.

Professor Im's autobiography was first published in 1999 under the title "Standing on the Twilight Road" when she reached her nineties. In the autobiography, she wrote, "My story is the life story of a young woman in the dawn era of Korea who embraced the faith of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is the challenges and difficulties faced by a generation that shed old customs and embraced the values of a new era; that was my life, my challenge, and the background of my calling."

After going out of print, the autobiography was passed down in photocopies until recently, when former President Nam Dae-geuk, the late professor's daughter-in-law Jang Mun-young, and her disciple Kim Jang-suk, director of the Hope Family Counseling Center, re-edited it to reflect on her life once again and published it under the title "Because of This Fierce Storm."

The event was attended by Sahmyook University President Kim Il-mok, former President Nam Dae-geuk, former Vice President Choi Jun-hwan, Director of External Cooperation Kim Jeong-suk, the late professor's disciple Kim Jang-suk, director of the Hope Family Counseling Center, and family representative Dr. Kang Seok-jin, her fifth cousin nephew. The late professor's second son, Dr. Jeong Tae-geon, sent a video message of gratitude from the United States.