Ewha Womans University
It opened in 1886 with a single student. Today it ranks among the world's largest women's universities.
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Missionary Mary F. Scranton's mission school for girls grew into the first officially organized university in post-liberation South Korea. The name Ewha — Pear Blossom — was personally bestowed by Emperor Gojong, and that image has carried through every version of the institution since 1887.
What to look for
- The pear blossom symbol on campus signage and the school logo — the name was a gift from Emperor Gojong in 1887
- Historical markers tracing the leap from a mission school (1886) to a degree-granting college (1910) to a full university (1945)
- The sheer scale of an active campus with over 21,500 enrolled students
Active university campus in Seoul; walk-through visits are generally possible but classes and students have priority.
Ewha Womans University is one of 28 sights worth the detour in Seoul, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Seoul pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Seoul
- ChangdeokgungThe kings kept skipping the official palace to live here instead — and they had centuries to prove the point.
- Seoul Metropolitan SubwayLine 1 launched in 1974 tracing Tokyo's blueprint; today 24 lines stretch over 100 km beyond the capital into rural Chungnam and Gangwon provinces.
- JongmyoSpirit tablets of Joseon kings still receive ritual offerings here, exactly as they have since 1394.
- Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae)South Korea's seat of presidential power since 1948 — a 62-acre compound so secure it was once called one of Asia's most protected official residences, until the gates briefly opened to everyone.
- Namdaemun (Sungnyemun)Built in 1398, burned by an arsonist in 2008, and painstakingly restored by 2013 — Seoul's southern gate has a complicated relationship with fire.
- National Museum of KoreaDuring the Korean War, staff packed 20,000 objects and moved them to Busan — that collection now fills the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea.