‘Customized On-Demand Education’ Creator Choi Dalgon, Founder of Yeongjin College, Passes Away

Songheon Choi Dalgon, founder of the Yeongjin Education Foundation (Honorary President of Yeongjin College), passed away on the 24th at the age of 87.

He pioneered the "customized order-made education," which marked a revolutionary turning point in the development of the university education system in Korea and opened a new path for practical education. He was born in 1936 in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, and established Yeongjin College (then Yeongjin Technical School) in 1977.

The late Choi Dalgon, founder of Youngjin College.

To overcome the limitations of being a regional and latecomer technical college, he created an innovative curriculum called "corporate field-customized order-made education" in 1994.

Unlike supplier-centered education, this "order-made education," which focused on demand-centered education and aimed to eliminate the need for retraining after employment, was considered revolutionary at the time. It laid the foundation for the development of technical colleges in Korea and opened the door for government funding for "technical colleges," providing an opportunity for their growth and development today.

The order-made education was not limited to Korea but also sought overseas expansion, leading to the promotion of "international linked order-made education" to cultivate talent who would work at overseas branches of companies such as Samsung and LG.

In particular, following the trend of globalization, he actively supported students' overseas employment. Since 2007, a "special overseas employment class" has been operated, opening paths for graduates to be employed by leading overseas companies such as SoftBank Japan, with 30 students employed there this year, as well as Yahoo Japan and others.

In 2007, he also partnered with local governments to open the Daegu-Gyeongbuk English Village, realizing the philosophy of contributing to the local community through education.

He is survived by his children Jaeyoung (President of Yeongjin College), Geunyeong, and others (including the former CEO of Yuchang Construction). The funeral is being held at Kyungpook National University Hospital Funeral Hall, with the funeral procession scheduled for 8 a.m. on the 28th.

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