Ewha was founded in 1886 by Scranton, the first woman missionary to Korea. In the spring of that year, Scranton discovered an abandoned girl in the street and helped her become self-reliant. This was the beginning of the school that became a university. Scranton’s mission is highlighted in the book “Mary Scranton, Who Loved Korea,” published by Ewha Womans University Press. The book contains this description: “Her spirit was based on her thorough faith in God, and she endeavored to liberate women from various kinds of oppression, trusting in their capabilities.”
Today, 130 years later, the Scranton legacy has been lost. Honorary President Jung Ji-gang of the Christian Literature Society of Korea commented critically, “The school was established so that children of the powerless minjung, not of aristocrats or the rich, could be educated. The suspicions raised about abuse of special benefits by the daughter of Choi Sun-sil do not fit the spirit of missionary Scranton. Furthermore, this situation is completely undermining the good influence Ewha has had on Korean society.”
Rev. Keum Jooseop, Director of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism at the World Council of Churches, expressed his thoughts on his Facebook wall, saying, “A university that was built for Christian mission has newly established profit-making departments and has given preferential treatment to influential persons of power. Ewha has grown and developed through the dedication of missionaries and many Christian women leaders. It must not be degraded like this.”
Because Missionary Scranton was a member of the Methodist Church, Ewha was managed as a related organization of the Korean Methodist Church, but since the 1970s it has been managed independently. Currently there are no pastors or theologians on its board, which consists of eight trustees and two auditors.
Reporter Lee Yongsang (sotong203@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Full Story in Korean:
"이화는 어디로"…'낮은 자' 섬겼던 스크랜턴의 눈물
