Park receives his honorary doctorate during a special convocation service held at University of the Cumberlands.

The Importance of an Education

Jin-Pyo Kim gave examples of how education turned the Republic of Korea's economy around and has increased its democracy. "Korea has gone from poverty to an economic tiger through education," said Kim.

According to Kim, Korea has very high quality primary and secondary school systems, and Korean students are among the world's top international student performers. Korea's universities, however, lack global competitiveness. Among the ways Kim suggested that this could be changed is to implement a flexible school system supportive of lifelong learning and development.

Kim concluded, "Remember God is always right beside to lead and guide you, wherever you go."

His visit is the culmination of efforts by university officials to begin a Korean exchange program at Cumberlands. This fall, six Korean students were enrolled and plans are for our students to begin studies at a university in Seoul, Korea in the summer.

Kim has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Human Resources Development, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy, Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Senior Secretary of Policy and Planning for the President and Director-General for Tax Affairs and Director-General for Banking and Insurance. He earned an M.A. in public administration at the University of Wisconsin. He also received an honorary doctoral degree in public administration from University of the Cumberlands in 2005.

University of the Cumberlands, located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, is a private liberal arts college in its 117th year of operation. Cumberlands offers four undergraduate degrees in 37 major fields of study, 30 minors and nine pre-professional programs, as well as online and accelerated, nontraditional programs for adults.