Pukyong National University

△ The administration building of Pukyong National University. The university administration building, which was completed on March 16, 2000, was built in just the same location as National Fisheries University of Busan, which was used as a field hospital during the Korean War. ⓒPhoto by Lee Sung-jae (PR Team)

Was Pukyong National University once used as a hospital?

Yes. The National Fisheries University of Busan (the present Pukyong National University), which was established as the first university in Busan in 1941, is the building that is now located at the university administration building of Daeyeon Campus at Pukyong National University.

According to <50 Year History of the National Fisheries University of Busan>, as the Korean War broke out, UN forces called the administration building at the National Fisheries University of Busan into requisition (July 20, 1950). From this moment, the National Fisheries University of Busan had been used as a hospital.


△Panoramic view of the National Fisheries University of Busan
 
The war ended with the truce agreement in July 1953, but the US Army Field Hospital was still using building in the campus.

When the US Army Field Hospital withdrew, the Swedish Hospital started to use the school again from May 1955. The Swedish hospital, which was stationed in Busan Commercial High School (located in the current position of Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon), was moved to the campus of Fisheries University.

It was September 25, 1957, when the National Fisheries University of Busan returned the university building since the Swedish hospital was withdrawn and the requisition was completely lifted. The students restarted taking classes in the building from October 27, 1957. It was a building that was returned over seven years.

The Swedish hospital, which was stationed at the campus of Fisheries University at the time, was reported that it provided high-quality medical services to the citizens of Busan as well as the war wounded. It contributed greatly to the advancement of medical care in Korea to the extent that it became the birthplace of the National Medical Center in 1958.


△ The sign of the Swedish hospital located at the west side of the university headquarters.

On the contrary, how was the students' situations of the National Fisheries University where the school building was requisitioned?

Here is the testimony of Jeong Hyo-taek, alumnus (in the left picture) of the 53rd, Department of Manufacturing at the National Fisheries University of Busan.

In October 2015, this is what Mr. Jeong, a chairman of Heung-ah said at a meeting, donating 1 billion won to his alma mater for use by his university juniors.

"At the time, due to the Korean war, the school building was used as a hospital so we built a temporary shack next to the Institute of Marine Science Promotion in Yeongdo, but when there was a lot of rain in the summer, when there was a lot of rain in summer, the desk was floating in the water."

It was difficult to obtain textbooks or reference books related to specialties, there were no libraries, and there were only a few flasks in the laboratory, he spent his college days in a terrible era.

"No matter how much difficult it is now, it will not be as difficult as that time, so I want to tell my school juniors to have courage."

The place that felt and healed the sore wounds of war is Pukyong National University. Although we were forced to naked and hungry during the war, although we only could see no future ahead of us without hope, but we were the youths of Pukyong National University who had penetrated through tomorrow without losing hope. <Pukyong Today>