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October 10, 1997, marks the centennial of the founding of the Soongsil Hagwon(Academy), a pioneer of modern education in Korea. The history of the Soongsil Hagwon began with the founding of the Soongsil School by William Baird(Korean name Pea Wi-ryang), an American Christian missionary, in Shinyang,Pyongyang, on October 10, 1897. True to the meaning of name, which meansrespecting the practical, not the empty, the Soongsil School established what was a truly new and modern institution of education in Korea. Afterwards, in 1900, the Soongsil School became a four-year middle school and, by 1905, it became an institution of higher education and was renamed Soongsil College. Soongsil College was establish ed under the founding spirit of `Truth and Service` to cultivate students as competent and well-rounded individuals and national leaders. The College took the lead in the modernization of the nation and was at the vanguard of its enlightenment and struggle for independence in the twilight years of the Choson dynasty. During the Japanese colonial period, the Soongsil College participated in anti-Japanese movements such as the so-calledcase of the One Hundred Fivein which 105 members of the Sinminhoe (New People`s Association for restoration of the sovereignty) were arrested, the March 1 Independence Movement, and the Pyongyang Student Movement. The College was forced by the Japanese to close in 1938 for its refusal to pay homage to Shinto shrines, but it was reestablished in Seoul 16 years later in 1954. Sharing the lot and suffering of the people, the Soongsil Hagwon has grown as the educational institution of the nation and produced many prominent figures including Dr. Cho Ung-chun, a great authority on electronic engineering, Hyun Je-myong and Kim Tong-jin, famous musicians, the Poet Kim Hyun-sung, and the Reverend Han Kyong-jik. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Soongsil Hagwon, the Ministry of Information and Communication is issuing a commemorative stamp featuring the main building of Soongsil Sollege in Pyongyang and the statue of white horses, the symbol of the Soongsil Sollege.