It was Jongno where Bosung College, the first incarnation of Korea University, selected its original site, and in 1905, Yong-ik Lee, the founder of Bosung College, rented a building from a state-run Russian language school. Soon, Lee purchased a nearby house owned by Gyo-heon Kim, thereby expanding the premises of the school and helping it to become a large school. The location of Kim’s house is where Jogyesa Temple sits today, and the college moved twice to difference places near it. In 1932, Inchon Sung-soo Kim became President of Bosung College, and in 1934, the college moved to a new site in Anam-dong, where the university is currently located.

On Dec. 21 of last year, Korea University and Jogyesa Temple agreed to erect a sign in the temple informing people that the temple was where the university was first located. The university also received sophora seeds from the temple and decided to incubate them until they could be planted outdoors. The university will plant them in fertile soil in front of each of its schools and colleges.