Contributed to food increase through agricultural study and advanced agricultural technique
Completed scientific base of Korean traditional food with a study on fermentation science
(Late) Cho Baik-hyun
Honorary Professor, Seoul National University (1900~1994)
- Academic background
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1920
Suwon College of Agriculture and Forest
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1925
Graduated Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu Imperial University, Japan
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1962
Honorary doctor of agriculture, Seoul National University
- Professional career
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1925
Assistant professor, Suwon College of Agriculture and Forest
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1945
Member, KEC (Korea Education Committee), US Military Government Office
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1946
Professor and Dean, College of Agriculture, Seoul National University
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1955
Life member of National Academy of Sciences, The 1st chairman of the Korean Agricultural Association
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1962
Honorary professor, Seoul National University
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1965 ~ 1973
Standing member, Korea Atomic Energy Commission
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1972
The 1st chairman, Korean Society of Food Science and Technology
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1986
Hwanong Scholarship Committee
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1993
Chief Director, Hwanong Study Pursuit Foundation
- Awards
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1961
National Academy of Sciences Awards
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1962
Order of Cultural Merit, National People Medal
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1977
Sudang Science Prize
An agriculturist who raised ‘kitchen garden’ of Korean agriculture
Professor Baik Hyun Cho contributed to food increase by the scientific method as well as developing agricultural research and advanced agricultural technique, serving as the only Korean professor in the Japanese colonial era. Even in the disadvantages of the occupation, he tried to foster younger students in the Korean agricultural area for 37 years and made a great contribution to accomplish modernization of Korean traditional food and promotion of food life today through a study on fermentation science including traditional sauces and Kimchi.
Made the foundation of agricultural education with the introduction of soil and fertilizer related textbook development, joint study, and advanced agricultural technique
Professor Baik Hyun Cho, a founding scientist in modern agriculture and biochemical research, contributed the advancement of the Korean agriculture and food industry area, connecting the study on Korean traditional food with the practical food life of national people. Especially, he contributed to the advancement of related study areas such as development and propagation of seed bacteria by approaching the traditional food scientifically and systematically as well as completing the scientific base of Korean traditional food via the study on traditional foods such as soybean, Kimchi, and traditional sauces. His articles, ‘About change of general ingredients occurring during production of bean sprout’ (Article collection in 25th anniversary of Suwon College of Agriculture and Forest) in 1932 and ‘About food value of Korea wild edible plants’) (1932, Dongsang Collection of Dissertations) were the first scientific article published by Korean in agricultural area, which is evaluated as the beginning of Korea modern agricultural research.
In addition, he tried to improve falling behind the agricultural environment and solve the hunger of people, participating in practical areas related to life and health of people such as the development of fertilizer and improvement of rice productivity. Especially, he contributed greatly to the improvement of rice productivity by performing research on the method and timing of fertilizer application optimal to rice farming using nuclear radioisotope. It was considered as the world first in the establishment of a reasonable fertilizer application system using radioisotope as Korean first international collaborative study and a creative and model case enough for IAEA to praise its research method and result interpretation.
Developed traditional foods to agricultural sciences including nutrition value of Kimchi, fungi classification of Meju (fermented soybean lump) and component analysis of Gochujang (red pepper paste)
Professor Baik Hyun Cho accumulated his pioneering achievements as a modern educator. Appointed newly as the first Korean lecturer in the Suwon Agriculture and Forest College and its president via its professor, he devoted himself to reconstruction and normalization of Korean agricultural school education. In 1946 he was appointed as the first dean of agriculture college, Seoul National University to try to Korea agriculture education and normalization and established the ‘Plan of Minnesota University’ with the US government for designing the foundation of the Korean universities destroyed after the war. Through this plan, he made a contribution to preparing the foundation of Korean university, by establishing a university education system such as modernization of university research facility of agricultural area and improvement of curriculum and founding overseas training system for improving educational and research capacity.
He created a radio-agricultural institute under the nuclear energy agency in 1965, tried to improve agricultural productivity in practical agriculture including the behavior of fertilizer ingredients and environmental pollutants in soil and water environment, and completed the base of agriculture and completed the base of agriculture and agri-business.
He tried to modernization of domestic agricultural societies by performing activities of several agricultural associations, including taking on the chairman of Korean Agricultural Association with its creation in 1954, serving as the chairman of Korean Society of Soil Science and Fertilizer in 1967 and made great contribution to make the base of Korea agricultural science and technology by founding Hwanong Scholarship and Hwanong award system to encourage basic science researchers in agriculture in 1986.