Growth as a Leader in Korean Agriculture : Koreans at Kyushu Imperial University’s Faculty of Agriculture

The Faculty of Agriculture of Kyushu Imperial University has been involved with Korea in various ways since its establishment. First, Honda Kōsuke was appointed as the first dean of the Faculty of Agriculture. He had served in Joseon for 13 years. He was an authority on Korean agriculture, having served as head of the Agricultural Experiment Station of the Government-General of Chosen and principal of Suwon High School of Agriculture. Second, Cho Baik Hyun was one of the first seven students admitted to the Department of Agriculture. After graduation, he became the first Korean professor at Suwon High School of Agriculture, Korea’s premier agricultural education institution, and served as a model for Koreans who wanted to go to college. Third, to address the shortage of students shortly after the school opened, the school collateral selection criteria were relaxed. This allowed students from vocational schools in Korea to enter the agricultural department. Fourth, the first faculty of Seoul National University College of Agriculture after liberation admitted more graduates of Kyushu Imperial University than any other imperial institution. Many of them became pioneers of Korean agriculture. Thus, the study of the Koreans at Kyushu Imperial University College of Agriculture can be a starting point for understanding the development of Korean agriculture.