Kyunggi High School


Kyunggi High School is the oldest modern high school in Korea, located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The school is an all-boys school, and its counterpart is, also located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Kyunggi High School has educated many leaders of South Korean society. It is the "K" in the so-called "K-S mark," an informal reference to educational credentials said to ensure career success while the "S" being Seoul National University. Before the abolition of high-school entrance exams in 1974, it was the highest-ranked school in the country.
Alumni associations for the school are widespread throughout Korea and abroad. Famous alumni include former ambassador Hong Seok-hyun and the former Hannara Party leader Lee Hoi-chang, as well as early Korean Communist Party leader Pak Hon-yong. Multiple Olympic medalist swimmer Park Tae-Hwan graduated in February 2008.

History

The school was established by edict of the Emperor Gojong on April 4, 1899, and opened its doors on November 10, 1900. The school's original name was Gwallib Middle School. Its establishment was part of a general program of educational modernization. This effort at modernization was swallowed up by the Japanese annexation in 1910, but the school itself survived. Originally chartered as a middle school, it became a high school in 1906, though it continued to offer middle-school classes until 1971.
In 2000, the South Korean government issued a commemorative 170-won stamp, marking the school's 100th anniversary.