Dear Graduates of Summer 2022! I would like to convey my sincere congratulations to all of you, your families, and especially your parents! My thanks also go to our many distinguished guests who have joined us today amid their busy schedules and our cherished faculty and staff members. I thank you all for being a part of this celebration of accomplishments. Behind every graduate lie the efforts and commitments of many who have supported them over the years so that they can finally begin their journey into the world.

In addition to the stars of today’s celebrations - our graduates, we are honored by the presence of three special guests today. Our first guest is Professor Jun-Yi Heo, the recipient of the Fields Medal, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics, this year. You have probably already heard about Professor Heo through media reports. An alumnus who has received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SNU, Professor Heo will be honored with the Distinguished SNU Members Award at this commencement ceremony. Professor Heo will also be giving a congratulatory address to the graduates, and I hope you will take the words of our renowned alumnus to heart. Our second guests are five former students of our university who were unable to graduate because they had been de-registered or had withdrawn from school for engaging in the democratization movement. We grant honorary diplomas to them today. Seoul National University has already granted honorary diplomas to those who were killed in the Korean War or who laid down their lives during the April 19 Revolution. We will continue to search for people who sacrificed for our country but were forced to discontinue their studies in the process, and remember their names. As our third guest, I would like to introduce our graduates of the past three years who could not celebrate their commencement in person due to the COVID pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, we have had to hold four graduation ceremonies only in an online format. Because this is the first in-person graduation ceremony since the start of the pandemic, we have invited all graduates of the previous online graduation ceremonies to celebrate with us today. Almost 500 graduates have indicated to join us in person, and I am delighted to see you all here. Everyone, please give them a warm round of applause.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately dominated our lives for the past two years. We tend to look back at this period as a time of suffering. Classes were conducted online, we could not meet freely with friends, and even the matriculation and graduation ceremonies, which are once-in-a-lifetime events, had to be held online. Let us not forget, however, that these were relatively small sacrifices compared to what other people had to endure. Many people still suffer from the aftereffects of COVID-19, and too many have lost their lives. For too long a time, we were prohibited from visiting and holding the hands of our elderly parents in hospitals or nursing homes. Undeniably, the last few years were heartbreaking for all of us.

However, I sincerely hope that we can also see the silver lining in all this. If we change our perspective only so slightly, we realize that the pandemic was an event that again confirmed humanity’s power to unite as one in the face of global crisis. What was especially astounding during this period was the scientific progress made by humankind. With unbelievable speed, scientists identified the characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, found the most efficient way to develop vaccines against the virus, conducted clinical trials quickly while ensuring safety, and obtained approval from international health organizations. All of this happened in less than a year. This is a remarkable achievement considering that it used to take at least ten years to develop most of the vaccines in use today. Meanwhile, societies strived to minimize social conflicts that inevitably arise in times of crisis, reconciling different interests and mitigating the deepening inequality worldwide. Amid all these efforts, SNU also strived to contribute to the progress of humanity by fully mobilizing its research capabilities. We actively conducted research on COVID-19 not only in areas that directly connect to COVID-19 responses such as medicine and life sciences, but in almost all fields of study, including the humanities and social sciences. The outcomes of our intensive research endeavors were shared with the nation and the world. I can proudly say that SNU and you, our graduates, have played a central role in this battle between humanity and the highly infectious disease.

Now that we see the glimmer of light at the end of the long COVID-19 tunnel, there are a few messages I wish to pass along to you on your journey into the world. First, I urge you to become a person who shapes the world anew. Do not merely resort to being a survivor of COVID-19 but become the proactive architect of the post-COVID era. Looking at the history of humankind, we cannot say that the sufferings we experienced during the pandemic came entirely out of the blue. The pandemic brought problems to the surface that had been lingering out there for a long time - problems that we were, perhaps deliberately, ignoring. Among them, the most fundamental problem is how we humans can coexist with our planet. We have indeed known for a long while that our coexistence cannot be possible if we continue to live as we do now. As demonstrated by many governments, we have observed that technology is not always used for the benefit of humankind, but also to control and oppress people. We know that economic inequality can quickly transform into inequalities in guaranteeing life and safety. While people in developed countries received their fourth round of COVID-19 vaccinations, in many African countries less than 10% of the population had completed their first round. While we were socially distancing, many in developing countries lived in densely populated slums. We do not even know what is happening in North Korea at this moment. As we experienced it, the pandemic was a clear reminder that ignoring these issues is no longer an option. Humankind is longing for a new world. I urge you, dear graduates, to step into the world and become leaders of your own right in shaping the new, bold future.

Many now believe that Korea has become a certified developed country. It is true -- Korea is now one of the top 10 global economic powers. Korea is also the first country to be promoted from a developing to a developed country by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Seoul National University has walked a similar path. Not so long ago, our school held other world-class universities with admiration and tried to benchmark them. However, this year, for the first time ever, our school was ranked 29th in the QS World University Rankings, securing a firm position as one of the top universities in the world. However, our university, as well as our country, still lacks something fundamental: we lack the self-awareness of the leading players shaping the world’s history and the necessary actions and responsibilities that come with such a role. As such, SNU has been preparing and will continue to implement several innovations that will help the school think, act, and take responsibility in a way that befits a world-leading university. If you put your faith in us, your alma mater, and walk this path with us, I am confident that all of us will soon be able to take greater pride in our university -- as well as our country.

It is now time for you to head out into the world. Walk proudly into the world as a victor, not a survivor. View the world from the perspective of humanity, and let your actions define you as makers of world history. Your alma mater will always be here for you. I wish you the best on the ambitious journey that awaits you.

August 29, 2022
President of Seoul National University, Se-Jung Oh