Kim Hyung-suk

Kim Hyung-suk or Kim Hyung-seok (; born April 23, 1920) is a North Korean-born South Korean writer, philosopher, & professor emeritus of Yonsei University. He taught as a professor at the Department of Philosophy of Yonsei University from 1954 to 1985. He became professor emeritus of the same school after his retirement in 1985. He was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. He is the author of a few best-selling books which include Solitude (고독이라는 병) (1960) and The Discourse between Eternity and Love (영원과 사랑의 대화) (1961). He turned 100 in Korean age in 2019.

Life

Kim was born in 1920 in Unsan, Heianhoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan. He spent his childhood at Taedong, South Pyongan. He grew up in the same region as Kim Il-Sung and became acquainted with him in his youth. He went to Soongsil Middle School where he became acquainted with the poet Yun Dong-ju. He studied philosophy at Sophia University. In 1947, he moved from North Korea to the South where he taught at Joongang Middle and High School in Seoul for 7 years. He became a professor of philosophy at Yonsei University in 1954 until his retirement in 1985. In 1985, he became professor emeritus of Yonsei University.

Published works

• Solitude (고독이라는 병, 1960)
• A Conversation Between Eternity and Love (영원과 사랑의 대화, 1961)
• Will You Spend the Day in Vain (그대여 이날을 헛되이 보내려나, 1985)
• To Find the Meaning of Life (인생의 의미를 찾기 위하여, 1988)
• A Story I Wish to Share with You (그대와 나누고 싶은 이야기가 있다, 1990)
• Hometown with Life and Pine Forest (인생, 소나무 숲이 있는 고향, 1991)
• I Love, Therefore I Am (나는 사랑한다. 그러므로 나는 있다, 1991)
• Doing Philosophy with a Hammer (망치들고 철학하는 사람들, 1995)
• Every Child Has a Dream (모든 자녀들에게 꿈이 있다, 1998)
• The World of Philosophy (철학의 세계, 2002)
• My Life, My Faith (나의 인생 나의 신앙, 2012)
• What Makes Us Happy? (우리는 무엇으로 행복해지나, 2016)
• How to Believe (어떻게 믿을 것인가, 2016)
• Upon Living 100 Years (백년을 살아보니, 2016)
• A Theory of Happiness (2026)

References