育英公院의 設置와 그 變遷에 對하여

The Royal English School

The Royal College or Royal English School(育英公院) established in Seoul in 1886 was the first royal attempt at instituting modern education in Korea. The establishment was at the instance of a royal delegation who had recently returned from the United States. Dalzell A. Bunker, Homer B. Hulbert and George W. Gilmore from the Union Theological Seminary, New York, were appointed to the faculty. The school bad two sections- one for junior government officers, the other for sons of ranking officers in the age group of 15r 20 and young scholars named by high officials. Students of the formesection were day students while those of the latter were residents. The royal school was financed on a government budget, deriving from the Ministry of the Interior(戶曹) and the Office of Charity(宣惠廳), then from customs receipts at Inch on. Absenteeism was rife and discipline was often poor. Officials in charge easily yielded to students demands for shorter hours or unofficial days off. Administration proved infficient, with embezzlement of school funds. In 1894 the school ceased functioning when the disgusted American teachers resigned. In the eight years of the school s existence the government recruited a total of 107 students on three separate occasions. Only two out of the 107 passed the examinations for government office. On this occasion, western influence failed to make a dent on tradition. Rev. H. G. Appenzeller’s Paichai (Paejae) College(培材學堂) fared better. The school was open to commoners as well as Yangban and did much to instill new ideas and ways, producing leaders of new Korea.