Gwangju Jeil High School
Public high school in Gwangju, South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gwangju Jeil High School (Korean: 광주제일고등학교) is a boys' high school in Gwangju, South Korea. It has 840 students in grades 10, 11, and 12.[1] The school is considered to be one of the most prestigious high schools in Gwangu.
Historically, the school is known as the birthplace of the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, a series of protests in 1929 against the 1910–1945 Japanese rule of Korea.
The school is also known for its baseball team, and has won the Cheongryonggi championship multiple times.[2][3] A number of its alumni have gone on to play professional baseball in Korea, Japan, and the United States. One of the school's most famous graduates is Sun Dong-yol, considered one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Korean professional baseball. Another graduate, Lee Jong-beom, nicknamed "Son of the Wind," is widely considered one of the best five-tool players in Korean baseball history, and the best all-around KBO player of the 1990s.[4] As of 2026, the school has produced four Major League Baseball players, tying them with Japan's PL Gakuen High School for the most by any school in Asia.[2]
History
Gwangju Public High School was established in 1920.[2] The Gwangju Ilgo school baseball club was established in 1923.[1][2]
In late October 1929, students from the school helped spark demonstrations against Japanese rule.[5] The Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial, housed in a park on the school's campus, was built in 1954 to commemorate the student independence movement. The Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial History Museum was built in 1997;[1] it was designated as the 26th Gwangju Metropolitan City Monument on April 30, 1999.
Kim Yong-un, a mathematician, philosopher, and critic of civilizations, taught math at the school in the 1950s.
Notable alumni
Professional baseball players
- Byung-hyun Kim (1997)[2]
- Hee-seop Choi (1998)[1][2]
- Jae Weong Seo (1996)[1][2]
- Jeong Ju-hu[6] (c. 2013)
- Jung-ho Kang[1][2] (c. 2005)
- Lee Jong-beom (c. 1988)[1]
- Lee Kang-chul[citation needed] (c. 1984)
- Park Jae-hong (c. 1991)
- Seo Geon-chang[1] (c. 2006)
- Sun Dong-yol (1981)[1]
Other professions
- Kim Sang-gon (1968) — politician
- Noh Hyeong-ouk[7] (c. 1980) — activist and government official
- Sung Won Sohn (1962)[8] — economist