Pukyong National University

Pukyong National University Unveils Rare Historical Materials for 80th Anniversary and 30th Year of Integration

？ Historical Materials Contest Held: Photos of the Baekgyeong-ho (Pioneer of Korea’s Distant-Water Fishing), Handwritten School Song Manuscript by Poet Cho Byung-hwa, and More

Pukyong National University (President Bae Sang-hoon) has released a collection of rare historical materials ahead of its 80th founding anniversary and the 30th anniversary of its merger next year.

The university’s archives office held a historical materials collection contest over six months starting last May and recently announced the winning entries, which include original photos of deep-sea fishing training aboard the Baekgyeong-ho and a handwritten manuscript of the school anthem by poet Cho Byung-hwa.

Among the winning entries, the 1967 photos of the deep-sea fishing training aboard the Baekgyeong-ho are original materials documenting maritime field training conducted since the era of Busan National Fisheries University, one of Pukyong National University’s predecessor institutions.

In the 1960s, as deep-sea fishing emerged as one of Korea’s key industries, the government invested 0.1% of the national budget to construct Baekgyeong-ho, a new training vessel for the Busan Fisheries College, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. In 1966, Baekgyeong-ho, carrying student trainees, successfully conducted Korea’s first trial deep-sea fishing operation in the North Pacific, opening the door to Korea’s rise as a maritime powerhouse.

The newly collected photograph captures the 1967 training voyage for deep-sea fishing and is regarded as a valuable historical resource not only for university education but also for the history of Korea’s deep-sea fishing industry.

Also collected is the handwritten manuscript of renowned Korean lyric poet Cho Byung-hwa, who wrote the lyrics for Pukyong National University’s new school anthem in 1996, following the merger of Busan Fisheries College and Busan National University of Technology.

This manuscript is the original version of the school anthem lyrics, written and sent by poet Cho Byung-hwa in a letter at the request of Professor Nam Song-woo from the Department of Korean Language and Literature. In his lyrics, Cho Byung-hwa captured the vibrant spirit of truth and youth to represent Pukyong National University.

Alongside this, other selected items include the first issue of the Journal of Fisheries Science published in 1965 by the Fisheries Society of Busan Fisheries College, various publications and official documents from around the time of the 1996 merger, and a student council notebook from Busan National University of Technology. These materials are highly regarded for vividly illustrating campus life during the university’s consolidation period.

Pukyong National University plans to digitize these collected items and utilize them as key content for historical exhibitions, research, and commemorative events. <Pukyong Today>