The founder of Konkuk University (KU), Dr. Seok-chang Yoo, also known as “Sanghuh,” has been selected by the Korean government as one of the “Stars of Korean Agriculture” in the history of 70 years of Korea’s agricultural industry since its liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

The Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that 13 major contributors to Korean agriculture have been selected for the “70 Years of Liberation, 70 Years of Agriculture” celebration. As the “flag bearer of agricultural revolution,” the accomplishments and photographs of Dr. Yoo were displayed along with those of other important figures including agricultural scientist Dr. Jang-choon Woo, inaugural minister of agriculture Cho Bong-am, and former president of Korea Advanced Farmers Association Dr. Dal-young Yoo.

The “70 Years of Liberation, 70 Years of Agriculture” photo exhibition was held during Aug. 7–16, 2015, at Sejongno Park in Seoul, with photographs representing the transformation and development of Korea’s agriculture and rural villages of the past, the present, and the future. Among the 13 “Stars of Korean Agriculture,” Dr. Yoo was assessed as a significant contributor to Korea’s agriculture and agricultural advancement by founding KU and cultivating future generations. His contribution to the area of animal husbandry, in particular, was assessed highly.

Dr. Yoo had emphasized that the modernization of agriculture is a pressing need for making a nation affluent. He had thus set up a system in which the agricultural society and the university can mutually cooperate; moreover, he was at the forefront of Korea’s rural revival movement by discovering model farms while taking initiative in fostering agriculture leaders. It is assessed that such devotion of Dr. Yoo’s became the initiation for the Saemaul Undong (or New Community Movement) and the foundation of national and agricultural economy.