[Professor Ho-Keun Song has been named as the Head of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences to strengthen the humanities program]

Professor Ho-Keun Song, the leading Korean sociologist and Distinguished Professor at Seoul National University (SNU), has recently moved to POSTECH with the aspiration to strengthen the humanities education for the nurturing of STEM leaders.

POSTECH has announced that Professor Song has been hired, effective September 1st, as a Chair Professor and Head of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Professor Song holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from SNU and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University. Also, in recognition of his groundbreaking research on social policy and welfare, social theory, and sociology of labor markets, SNU named him as the first Distinguished Professor of its Department of Sociology. As a professor in SNU since 1994, he has contributed to the university as the Chair of the Department of Sociology and Dean of the Office of External Affairs.

Professor Song has written many books and articles on sociology since his first publication of “Karl Mannheim’s Sociology of Knowledge” at the age of 27. His famous writings include “Birth of the People” and “Birth of the Citizens,” as well as “They Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “The Road Not Taken,” “Ganghwa Island,” and “Time of the Candle.” He is highly acclaimed for his elegant analyses on the nature of social phenomena and relevant policies, as well as for his broad insights that transcend sociology, economics, and politics. He is also a renowned columnist with a regular column in JoongAng Ilbo since 2004.

Up until recently, South Korea has achieved its remarkable growth by incubating Fast Followers. However, POSTECH believes that the leaders of the contemporary hyper-connected era of rapid innovations must possess a convergent skillset that merges technical expertise with the creativity and interpersonal communication skills provided for by interdisciplinary training in the humanities. Professor Song’s recruitment marks the new beginning to a robust humanities and social sciences program at POSTECH.

President Doh-Yeon Kim said, “As a STEM university that nurtures the leaders of tomorrow, the humanities education offered at POSTECH was relatively cursory.” He explained, “The students today will live a longer life than ever before and will hold many different jobs during their journey. An education restricted by departmental barriers cannot properly train the students for such a future.” He further stated that, “Only the talented individuals equipped with both scientific expertise and the insights afforded by a holistic humanities education can contribute to the betterment of the nation.”