Kim Seong-su

Kim Seong-su was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician and calligrapher, and the second vice president of South Korea from 1951–1952. He was born in Seoul, Korea on October 11, 1891 to a wealthy and influential family. He graduated from Gyeongseong High School and studied at Waseda University in Japan. He returned to Korea in 1914 and became a teacher at Gyeongseong High School. He also joined the Korean independence movement and participated in the March 1st Movement in 1919. He was arrested by the Japanese authorities and sentenced to three years in prison. After his release, he continued his involvement in the independence movement and established the Dong-A Ilbo, a newspaper that advocated for Korean nationalism and democracy. He also founded Korea University in 1924 and served as its president until 1945. He was a prominent leader of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile and a member of the Korean National Revolutionary Party. After the liberation of Korea in 1945, he became a member of the Korean National Assembly and the leader of the Democratic Nationalist Party. He was elected as the vice president of South Korea in 1951, under the presidency of Syngman Rhee. He supported the Korean War and the reconstruction of the country. He died of a heart attack on February 18, 1955 in Seoul, Korea. He was buried at the Seoul National Cemetery. He is remembered as a patriot, a reformer, and a pioneer of Korean education and journalism.