The founding spirit of Hanyang University is to educate and train students to understand and to love one another, based upon virtues of diligence, honesty, humility and service, to heighten the noble spirit of learning, and to become men and women who work not only for themselves but also for the nation and its people, and further, for all mankind.

Hanyang’s founding principle adheres to Article 2 of South Korea’s Framework Act on Education, which is the nation’s traditional philosophy of Hongik Ingan—the universal welfare of mankind. The university not only fosters sophisticated skills for independent thinking and groundbreaking research, but to cultivate leaders whose outstanding abilities are matched with strength of character.

The greatest and most noble challenge is to educate members of our great society to make a positive difference in the world.
This would be the true value of education. Everyone hopes to live a meaningful life and enrich their lives by developing their potential and achieving self-fulfillment. Education is to help people achieve these aspirations through the process of teaching and learning. Education may be presented in many different ways. Knowledge can be found or wisdom may be induced. However, the most desirable education can be obtained from the integration of knowledge and wisdom.

The person with a harmonious personality and character who has integrated knowledge and wisdom could be called ideal. The founding philosophy of Hanyang is to foster these human and maximize happiness in life. Indeed, is this kind of education ideals. No other things could be true, kind, and wonderful than love.

We should really practice love, rather than just know that we should love the others, and be satisfied with it. Hanyang has always tried to teach students the value of love and enrich individual lives, society, and the nation.

Hanyang students are respected to be considerate of others and choose the right things for them. This is the fruit of the education ideals, to “love in deed and in truth.” Hanyang realizes this philosophy through the four virtues of diligence, honesty, humility and service.

Hanyang aims to promote student success through academic and intellectual excellence in concert with aspiring to whole-person development. Our graduates should recognize the great privilege of the opportunity for higher education, and use the precious resources they have attained through their university education to be professionals who are humble, true, and ready to serve their respective local and global communities.

A common thread in all of our tireless pursuit for excellence and high achievement is to live up to our motto to “love in deed and in truth.” As professionals of the highest caliber, our graduates will continue to be compelling influences in their respective fields, e.g. politics, finance, social work, and the arts, and enrich the world we live in. Our relentless strive for such transformational impact on the world stage is rooted in our founding principle of committing to “love in deed and in truth” with the ultimate aim of promoting public good.