Congratulatory Remarks
29 August 2012
Dean Jin-Hyun Paik
Dear graduates,
Let me, first of all, congratulate you on your graduation.
You are here at this ceremony as a result of your hard works, perseverance and dedication over the past two years.
We, GSIS faculty and staff, are proud of your outstanding achievement.
Parents and family members,
I am well aware of your toil.
Without your love and support, today’s celebration may not have been possible.
On behalf of the GSIS, I want to express my special gratitude for all you have done for our graduates.
Dear graduates,
Graduation is one of the most important milestones of life.
Today you leave the cocoon called the campus and take a first step into the new world.
Thus far you have spent many years preparing yourselves for today.
Now equipped with years’ learning, you are setting out a new journey to realize your dream and hope.
I hope your journey will nicely start and settle down quickly.
As you may guess, however, a journey you are setting out today is riddled with uncertainties, challenges and dangers you have never experienced before.
I urge you not to be afraid of uncertainties and challenges; keep your principle and values, and find your way with courage and faith.
Dear graduates,
Today I want to share with you a few things that I believe are important in our lives.
I have no doubt about your intelligence and ability. As graduates of Seoul National University, I am sure, you are all intelligent people.
I also believe that you have necessary discipline and work ethics which are prerequisites for the success in life and career.
However, what is more important than intelligence and ability, discipline and hard works are moral values and principles.
Honesty and integrity, respect and consideration for others, and courage to do the right thing - - - these are the most important thing in life and career and, believe me, they will protect you from all those dangers and risks of life.
Cleverness without moral compass often can not only ruin you and your family but damage the organization and society to which you belong.
The recent LIBOR scandal shows us the dire state of the culture of casual dishonesty and lack of moral standard in the financial institutions around the world which have widely been considered the place for the best and brightest.
This is just one example of how the cleverness unaccompanied by moral responsibility could destroy the trust in the institution and damage the lives of millions of innocent people.
We are fallible human beings. We all make many mistakes in life. However, ours may be those of judgment but must not be those of principles.
Dear graduates,
I advise you to be honest and sincere at whatever you do.
Respect, and be considerate to, others, and help those in need.
Do not turn your eyes away from injustice and be brave to do the right thing.
Life is a long journey.
Do not hurry, and do not burn yourself out too early.
Be patient, and avoid being tempted by short-term gains and take a long-term perspective.
In particular, as a person who majored in international affairs, continue to take an interest in the problems of the world, and make efforts to understand and respect different races, religions, nations, and cultures.
If you can practice these things, no matter how arduous your journey becomes, you will not only survive but eventually prevail.
Dear graduates,
Let me congratulate you once again.
Do not forget to thank your parents, family, and professor who have supported and guided you throughout these years.
You are leaving the campus now, but this is not the end of learning.
Be humble and continue to learn.
Learn wisdom more than knowledge, and grow wiser more than cleverer.
Bear in mind that the source of wisdom are moral values and principles.
I wish you all the best of luck with your career and life.
So long, graduates, and I am sure we will see each other again.
Thank you very much for your attention.