2024-01-22 12:16:41
The late Mrs. Shin Eon-im, who passed away after donating 5.1 billion won of her entire fortune from street vending to Chungbuk National University, is smiling brightly while sitting on the campus with Chungbuk National University students in 2011. /Chungbuk National University
“I have another mother who I love.”
At about 10 a.m. on the 22nd, in the main lecture room of the university headquarters of Chungbuk National University, a middle-aged man with gray hair read a letter with tears in his eyes. His longing for his mother was intense. Sobbing could be heard everywhere. In her letter, the mother, the late Shin Eon-im (91), passed away on the 19th after donating her entire life savings from street vending as a scholarship to Chungbuk National University. Ham Yeong-gyu (53, prosecutor’s office officer), class of ’90, Department of Public Administration, who graduated from college with his scholarship, read a eulogy.
The funeral of Mrs. Shin, who died as an education philanthropist and was called ‘the mother of Chungbuk National University,’ was held at Chungbuk National University on this day with the honor of the president of Chungbuk National University. At her funeral, about 100 people, including President Ko Chang-seop, her bereaved family, faculty, graduates, and students, gathered to see off Mrs. Shin on her final journey.
Secretary Ham said, “My mother did not eat, did not spend, and gave all the money she had worked hard to save to the students who regarded her as her children before leaving. She greeted me on holidays and birthdays and other anniversaries, and sometimes went on trips with me, and treated me as a mother, but I think about her too much. “I’m crying,” he sobbed.
It was in 1993 that Ms. Shin, who had lived alone all her life without children, established a relationship with Chungbuk National University through donations. At the time, Mrs. Shin donated a building worth 3 billion won in Nammun-ro, Cheongju-si. Chungbuk National University sold this building for 3.3 billion won in 2008 and is using it for scholarships for needy students.
Mrs. Shin did not have any particular story with Chungbuk National University. She is only known to have started donating because she was unable to learn and was saddened by her difficult life and childlessness. An official from Chungbuk National University said, “I think they came to our university because it represents their hometown. “She always thought of our students as her children,” she said.
Mrs. Shin was born in Ochang, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in 1932 during the Japanese colonial period, as the fifth daughter out of eight daughters and the first son of a poor farmer. She had a difficult childhood. After begging her father, she entered school late and graduated from Juseong Elementary School at the age of eighteen. Her first career began at a monopoly office, and she married at the age of twenty-two. However, she was unable to have children and suffered all sorts of hardships, and at a young age she became alone. She says that at one point she even tried to kill herself, but the thought of ransoming her for being born to her by her parents brought her back together again.
He started by selling value cigarettes (individual cigarettes) at the entrance to a traditional market in Cheongju. Afterwards, he worked hard to save money by running a general store. Despite this, she was called a ‘miserly grandmother’ who did not spend a single penny on herself.
In addition to donating a building to Chungbuk National University, Mrs. Shin donated 1.03 billion won in 2011, the 60th anniversary of the school’s founding, and 800 million won in 2018. Whenever money was saved, it was given out. The total amount of money he delivered to Chungbuk National University amounts to 5.13 billion won.
Chungbuk National University established the ‘Shin Eon-im Scholarship,’ ‘Shin Eon-im Loyalty and Filial Piety Scholarship,’ and ‘Shin Eon-im Law School Scholarship’ named after the deceased, and is providing scholarships worth about 50 million won to 10 students every year. A total of 103 students have received scholarships so far. Ms. Shin completed the Women Leaders Course at the Graduate School of Public Administration at Chungbuk National University, and she also received an honorary doctorate in public administration.
Chungbuk National University named the newly built Lifelong Education Center auditorium ‘Shineonim Hall’ in 2015. And here, when he was 88 years old, he held a misu-yeon (米壽宴) party, and when he was 90 years old, he held a 90th birthday party.
Mrs. Shin also received the 33rd ‘Kim Man-deok Award’ in 2012. Kim Man-deok (1739-1812), a female merchant in Jeju, distributed her wealth to the people when there was a famine in Jeju in 1794. The award established in honor of this teacher is the ‘Kim Man-deok Award’.
Mrs. Shin’s first scholarship recipients, Jang Byeong-jun (54) and Lee Jeong-ok (53), said, “We met my mother and became husband and wife. She treated us like her children, and even though she has passed away, we were a noble couple.” “I will forever honor my mother, who sacrificed her life to spread her love to over 100 children,” he said.
At Mrs. Shin’s funeral, scholarship students who had formed a relationship with her as parents and children stayed for three days and served as mourners. On this day, he was buried in Seonyeong, a memorial to support education on campus, and, as he always wanted, he will be with Chungbuk National University forever.
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