Young Do Park

Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Since 1979, Young Do Park has worked as teacher and administrator of night schools and institutes providing teaching and counseling to young adults, women, and senior citizens with learning deprivation to develop their social growth and quality of the life through education. While working as head of the National Night School Council (NNSC), and as a director of the Korea Association of Literacy Education (KALE), Park has greatly contributed to policies for adult literacy education in South Korea and settling school accreditation programs.

While running a night school and literacy education institute, Park found adult learners who were excluded from learning. He provided a free education environment to around 7,000 learners by using word literacy and supplemental academic certification. During his time as a teacher, he found and solved difficulties that the adult learners faced in the teaching environment by working as a facilitator. Park is currently contributing to the development of a text specifically for adult learners and improving the overall environment of education.

Literacy competence and understanding is a right for any human being, but governmental and social obstacles have limited the opportunity for mandatory education. There are around 2.6 million citizens under the rule of the Japanese government who lived through the Korean War and have been excluded from receiving an education, and they are thus living their lives in social, cultural, and economic suffering. Providing education to such secluded people improves their quality of life. Park has been putting great effort into literacy education institutes and related volunteer groups for more than 30 years.

By being part of the actual site where the education is taking place, Park helped reconnect adult learners who were alienated from learning and brought illiterate learner education to the governmental system. He introduced education for those living outside of the government system and helped establish a system that allows the state to recognize out-of-school education. He has contributed greatly to the advancement of the world through Korea's literacy education system, in which the government and private sectors cooperate.

Park is involved greatly with educating young adults who have left the conventional education system and immigrants of multicultural backgrounds. For 30 years, he helped around 3,000 students pass their qualification examinations and improve their social status and career path. In addition, he has worked as an adjunct professor for 15 years, educated young scholars through lecture, and given more than 100 lectures to regional government and social groups for the improvement of society.