Ahn Byong-man explained

Ahn Byong-man
President of
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Term Start:1994
Term End:2004
Successor:Park Chul
Birth Date:8 February 1941
Birth Place:Keijō, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
(now Seoul, South Korea)
Alma Mater:University of Florida
Seoul National University
Korean name
Hangul:안병만
Rr:An Byeong-man
Mr:An Pyŏngman
Tablewidth:265
Color:lavender

Ahn Byong-man (8 February 1941 – 31 May 2022)[1] was a South Korean academic, and the former President of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Seoul National University in 1964 and 1967, and went on to the University of Florida for doctoral studies, graduating in 1973. In 1975 he joined the faculty of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, South Korea. While at this institution he served as the Dean of Student Affairs, Dean of the Graduate School, and in 1994 he was named president. He served in this capacity until 2004.

Ahn was a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Delaware, and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University of Delaware in 2004.[2] He was also a visiting professor at the university. He also received a University of Florida Distinguished Alumnus Award in May 2005.[3]

A non-party politician, he served as Minister for Education, Science and Technology in the Lee Myung-bak government from 6 August 2008 until 30 August 2010. During his tenure, he pushed through an ambitious reform of English-as-a-foreign-language education in South Korea to reduce the reliance on hagwon in teaching the language.[4] One of the first steps he took in this regard was to begin the development of a new English proficiency test modeled on Japan's STEP Eiken test, the National English Ability Test, with the aim of replacing the TOEIC and TOEFL for domestic purposes such as university admissions and job candidate selection.[5] Around the same time, he also requested the resignations of seven senior officials in the Ministry.[6]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.khan.co.kr/national/education/article/202205311649001 안병만 전 교과부 장관 별세
  2. Web site: Korean university president visits UD . 29 March 2011 . Hutchinson, Becca . 2005 . University of Delaware, USA.
  3. Web site: UF Distinguished Alumnus Byong Man Ahn Lectures About North Korea March 23 . 29 March 2011 . 22 March 2006 . University of Florida, USA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607095713/http://www.clas.ufl.edu/events/news/articles/20060322_ahn.html . 7 June 2011 .
  4. News: Can Ahn's English Education Overhaul Succeed?. The Korea Times. 11 January 2010. 19 December 2013.
  5. News: Korean Version of TOEFL to Debut. The Korea Times. 11 December 2008. 19 December 2013.
  6. News: High-ranking Education, Tax Officials Tender Resignations. The Dong-a Ilbo. 17 December 2008. 19 December 2013.