Chairman Kang Sambyung Donates 1940s Textbooks to Songpa Book Museum

Kang Hansoo Scholarship Foundation Chairman Kang Sambyung Donates Textbooks and Study Notes Kept for Over 70 Years Since School Days to Songpa Book Museum

Chairman Kang Sang-byeong (right) is showing and explaining the books to be donated to District Mayor Park Seong-su.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 6th that it awarded a donation certificate to Kang Sam-byeong (85), chairman of the ‘Kang Hansu Scholarship Foundation,’ who donated textbooks and study notes kept for over 70 years since his school days to the Songpa Book Museum.

The donated materials consist of a total of 20 books, including elementary and middle school textbooks and reference books that the donor studied and took notes on during the 1940s and 1950s. These books were published from the post-liberation period to around the Korean War, and despite the poor publishing conditions at the time which prevented the use of high-quality paper, their preservation state is excellent, making them highly valuable as historical materials.

The donated items include ▲3rd-grade Korean language textbook (1947) ▲5th-grade farming textbook (1948) ▲and notebooks where the covers were handmade by sewing fertilizer bags with thread during a time when paper was scarce, with handwritten notes inside.

In particular, an interesting story is contained in the ‘Intelligence Test Study (1949)’ reference book used by Kang Sam-byeong when he was in the 6th grade at Gwangseok Public Elementary School.

Turning the first page of the reference book reveals a neatly written class schedule arranged by day of the week, listing subjects such as ‘Korean, reading, arithmetic, health, social studies.’

The donated materials will undergo preservation treatment at the Songpa Book Museum and are scheduled to be exhibited at the ‘Wise School Life, Textbook Exhibition’ planned for February next year.

Donor Kang Sam-byeong expressed, “I am grateful that Songpa-gu recognizes the value of these precious books I used during my school days and preserves them permanently,” adding, “I am honored to donate them to the Songpa Book Museum, the nation’s first public book museum.”

Meanwhile, the Songpa Book Museum is continuously accepting applications for donation materials. After review by the Donation Review Committee, accepted materials will be preserved and permanently stored in the repository for future exhibitions and academic research.

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Seong-su said, “Despite the very difficult times, the passion for learning is evident, and I thank the donor for providing materials that will inspire today’s generation studying in better environments and foster intergenerational empathy,” adding, “We will preserve these valuable materials permanently at the Songpa Book Museum and utilize them as important resources.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.