Yongkyo Lee, Professor, Department of Social Welfare, Gwangju University.
Gwangju University announced on July 22 that "History and Figures of Social Welfare: Gwangju Edition" (Human and Welfare), authored by Yongkyo Lee, Professor in the Department of Social Welfare, has been selected as an "Excellent Academic Book of the Year" by the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea.
The National Academy of Sciences selects outstanding academic books each year from those published over the past year, with the aim of promoting research and publication activities in the field of basic academic disciplines.
A total of 1,920 "first edition books published in Korea" between March of last year and February of this year were submitted. A review committee, composed of academy members and external experts, selected and announced 110 titles in the humanities, 94 in the social sciences, and 75 in the natural sciences, for a total of 279 books.
Professor Lee's "History and Figures of Social Welfare" is a study of the 130-year history of social welfare in Gwangju, spanning from the late Joseon Dynasty through the Japanese colonial period. Central figures in this history include many foreign missionaries such as U Weolsun, Seo Seopyeong, and Forsythe, as well as Korean pioneers like Choi Heungjong, Kang Sunmyung, Lee Hyunpil, Jung Inse, and Kim Junho. These individuals provided relief to those suffering from disease, poverty, oppression, and civil unrest. They went beyond charity, working to advance relevant systems and policies, and established and operated educational institutions and social organizations to nurture talent and ensure the continuity of welfare movements.
The selected books will be supported for purchase by university libraries based on university demand surveys. Professors and students interested in this book may request its purchase through their university library.
Professor Yongkyo Lee stated, "The selection of 'History and Figures of Social Welfare' as an Excellent Academic Book by the National Academy of Sciences is thanks to the growing social interest in tracing the roots of social welfare and in the individuals who pioneered this field."
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