When I entered the rubber industry back in 1951, there were no advisors, professors, or technicians in the industry, and no books about rubber written in Korean. The only way to study rubber was to read books in other languages. I realized that books were my only teacher. When I was the president of the College of Engineering alumni association in 1996, I met many students who wished for a library where they can go to study more. Also, on a TV show from MBC, I learned that Harvard University has about 100 libraries.

This became even more important to me after seeing the top universities around Boston with my own eyes.Background building_Photo My thoughts were to offer my school a similar library for current and future students to study in. It seemed to be the most beneficial contribution I can make for the future of industry, and thankfully, both the dean of the College of Engineering and the superintendent agreed with my thoughts. Although it took a long time to find the right spot for construction after the basic design was completed by professor Kim, Jin Gyun, who had majored in architecture, approval was received to build the library, and construction began in May, 2003 (when Chung, Un-chan was the superintendent and Han, Min Koo was the dean of the College of Engineering). Finally, the library opened in October, 2004.

Even though SNU had insufficient land for new buildings, I think the deep wishes of the students for a new library made all this possible.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Bang, Hyo Geuk, the chief of Orion Construction, who was in charge of the design and supervision of the project, and Hyundai Development Company. I would also like to thank the superintendent and the faculty for giving me the chance to contribute to the development of my school, and I pray that this library will help Korea to become an advanced country and train talented people.

Chung Suk-Gyoo
Chairman of Sinyang Cultural Foundation