■ HUFS awards honorary degree to Kwon Soon-Han, CEO of SOYEE Products

On November 4, 2021 (Thursday), HUFS awarded an honorary doctorate in Business Administration to Kwon Soon-Han (Spanish, entry class of ‘63), CEO of SOYEE Products, at the Fila Acushnet Hall of HUFS Smart Library in the Seoul Campus.

HUFS President Kim In-Chul commented in his welcoming remarks, “CEO Kwon served as the 28th, 29th, and 30th HUFS Alumni Association President, making tremendous contributions to greater communication and unity among our alumni and to the development of our alma mater.” He added, “As an honorary consul of our nation to Costa Rica, he also contributed greatly to the advancement of the nation’s trade and public diplomacy. We are honored to award him our honorary doctorate in Business Administration.”

Mr. Kwon said in his thank-you speech, “The most meaningful turning point in my life is enrolling at HUFS, a global institution that opens doors to the world. I am deeply grateful and I take this honor on behalf of all HUFS alumni who have toiled traveling and working across the world.”

■ Vitamin House CEO Kim Sang-Guk donates KRW 100 million in development fund

Kim Sang-Kuk (Malay-Indonesian, entry class of ‘84), CEO of Vitamin House Corp., donated development fund of KRW 100 million to HUFS on November 15, 2021 (Monday). CEO Kim said, “I have always wished to donate to my alma mater, and now I have got the right chance to do it. I hope that this will help HUFS and HUFS students get through this difficult time of COVID-19.” Following his wish, HUFS will use his donation to fund the Department of Malay-Indonesian and library construction on the Global Campus.

Having graduated from HUFS in 1988, Mr. Kim now runs Vitamin House Corp., the nation’s leading dietary supplement provider. He has expanded its global presence remarkably in 20 years. In addition, he introduced creative marketing strategies, such as ‘Your Nutritionist’ and ‘Shop-in-Shop’, leading innovation in the nation’s dietary supplementary market. On November 10, 2021 (Wednesday), he received the HUFS Award at the 41st anniversary celebration of HUFS Global Campus for improving the reputation of HUFS.

■ HUFS Graduate School Alumni Association donates KRW 100 million in scholarships

HUFS Graduate School (Dean Lee Jae-Won) held a ceremony to deliver the donation of HUFS Graduate Alumni Association at the Dean’s Office on October 28, 2021 (Thursday).

Dean Lee said at the ceremony, “I express my sincere appreciation for our alumni members making this valuable donation in their love of their alma mater and young HUFS students.”

The Alumni Association has delivered a total of KRW 115.9 million in donation to HUFS to date.

■ LEENAX CEO Nah Sang-Won donates KRW 50 million in development fund

On December 1, 2021 (Wednesday), LEENAX CEO Nah Sang-Won (English, entry class of ‘76, 18th ROTC group). Visiting the Seoul Campus with his wife Lee Myung-Hee, he said, “I am filled with emotions to see how fascinatingly my alma mater has developed. I wish that this, though meager in amount, could help provide HUFS students with a good learning environment where they pursue their dream and grow into global top talents.”

CEO Nah enrolled in the HUFS Department of English in 1976 and joined the 119th Division of the Army ROTC program as the 18th generation officer, serving the nation while in college. After completing his service, he began his career at Samsung and moved to France where he founded his trading company LEENAX. Running a trade business between South Korea and France for 30 years, he has contributed significantly to boosting bilateral exchanges between the two nations. He also served in key positions, such as the 35th president of the Association of Korean Residents in France, the Chairman of the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in France, and the Chair of the French Bureau of the Korean Veterans, leading the development of the Korean community in France.

■ Dep’t of Dutch celebrates its 50th anniversary

The Department of Dutch (Chair Moon Jee-Hee) at the HUFS College of Occidental Languages held a hybrid online-offline ceremony to celebrate its 50th anniversary on November 26, 2021 (Friday). The event was joined by the alumni and students of the Department.

The first session of the celebration kicked off with the welcoming speech by the Chair of the Department, followed by the congratulatory remarks by HUFS President Kim In-Chul as well as congratulatory video messages from Ambassador Joanne Doornewaard of the Netherlands to South Korea and Ambassador François Bontemps of Belgium to South Korea. The Department’s senior professors and alumni members who work actively around the world also delivered their remarks of congratulations. Many of them took a moment in their speech to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Netherlands and the 120th anniversary of South Korea-Belgium diplomatic relations, expressing their high hopes for the future of our nation’s relations with the two nations and the growing role of the Department in that context.

The second session held a Dutch speech contest with a prize awarded by Eva Witteman, Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands to Korea. The winners of this annual contest were awarded a monetary prize equivalent to the cost of a round-trip ticket to the Netherlands.

The third session presented a video content competition awards ceremony. Held under the theme of “Meet the Netherlands and Belgium in Korea,” this year’s competition awarded four student teams the prize from Dutch Deputy Ambassador Eva Witteman. During the session, Dutch alumni held the 2021 scholarship delivery ceremony, delivering a total of KRW 10 million in scholarship to six students selected as scholarship recipients.

The 50th anniversary celebration of the Department of Dutch, which was opened in 1971, was a huge gathering of Dutch and Belgian embassies in the nation and the alumni and students of the Department. It was a huge success, giving all the participants to commemorate the 50 years’ history of the Department and share wishes for its next 50 years and beyond.