Man gets PhD at 93

At the age of 93, Mr. Kwon No-gab attended his first class as a doctoral student in English literature, achieving the goal of completing his thesis before turning 95.

The current record for the oldest Korean to obtain a doctorate is held by Lee Sang-suk, who received the degree at the age of 92 in 2023. Kwon No-gab is expected to surpass this record in the next two years.

With his thesis on the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Mr. Kwon No-gab hopes that his doctoral research can contribute to disseminating valuable thoughts and lessons from the life of this Nobel Peace Prize-winning politician .

Passion for learning in old age

With neatly combed back hair and a tailored suit, Mr. Kwon makes an impression in his persuasive speeches. He is chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Foundation and an adviser to the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. When asked how long he has been retired, he quipped: "Retired? No, I have never retired. My day is as busy as usual."

“I exercise three times a week, go to school twice a week. I wake up at 7:30 a.m. and go to bed at midnight. I follow all the news,” said Mr. Kwon.

Kwon No-gab aims to complete his doctoral thesis before he turns 95 in two years. (Photo: The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)

At Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, he studied with young students the same age as his grandchildren, and many even younger.

“Studying is fun,” he said, though he admitted it involved a lot of reading. He drank coffee and stayed up late to study.

English has long been a passion for him, although his life's path has never allowed him to pursue it as fully as he would have liked. Perhaps this is what made him return to English in his old age.

In 2013, at the age of 83, he received a master's degree in English Literature from the same school and had previously pursued a short-term doctorate at Dongguk University, where he completed his undergraduate degree more than half a century ago.

From boxer to politician and the journey of pursuing English

According to The Korea Herald, as a child, Mr. Kwon dreamed of becoming a boxing champion. He trained diligently, sacrificing his academic performance to focus on winning a spot to represent his country at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London (England). Although he won the provincial qualifying round during the national athlete selection process, he ultimately failed to make the Olympic team.

Besides his passion for sports , English also holds a special place in his heart.

"At first I learned it out of curiosity, but then I realized that English would become a global language. Whether I pursue business or any other field in society, I need to learn English. That's when I started to pay attention to this language," he shared.

He then kept up with world affairs through English-language media. His language skills brought him many opportunities in his younger years. He worked as an interpreter at a military base, then taught English at a high school in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.

When the boxing wave hit Korea, he turned to business. “As one of the few people in the industry with English skills, I wanted to become a boxing event organizer,” he recalls.

But his life took a different turn when he met the late President Kim Dae-jung and began his political career.

Mr. Kwon now plans to translate the late President Kim's works into English while preparing his thesis, in order to help popularize the politician's thoughts and achievements globally.

At 93, Mr. Kwon continues to study and work. He hopes that his research will help pass on the legacy of the late President Kim Dae-jung and his own passion for learning to future generations.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Link: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-tot-hoc-tien-si-o-tuoi-93-2377298.html

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-hoc-tien-si-o-tuoi-93-ar929700.html