I’m defining Hongik ingan as devotion to the welfare of humankind.
Hongik Ingan or also “to live and work for the benefit of all mankind” is the original founding philosophy of Korea,
which transcends the boundaries of ideology and religion. As a result, this made invaluable contributions to Korean society,
which remained as long lasting in the lives and the thoughts of what is Korea today.
The origin of this idea is recorded in history as part and parcel of the story of Dangun, the first ancestor of all Korean people.
It contains an exceptional aspiration that the Korean people would build a nation that “lived for the benefit of all humankind.”
And while remarkable in and of itself, upon close examination, the applications of Hongik ingan become truly significant
in light of all the different challenges we face as a global community.
Arnold J Toynbee British Historian and Professor of History at the London School of Economics
and at the University of London:
"If the 21st century arrives and the world becomes one, the focal point I believe will become Northeast Asia.
I think the key ideology that should serve as a model should be Korea's peaceful Hongik Ingan ideology."
Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu a famous Romanian writer's comments on the Hongik Ingan philosophy:
"The Hongik Ingan Philosophy given birth to by the Korean race is the model ideology
that nations around the world should be governed by."
This principle is rooted in the founding legend of the very first Korean kingdom in 2333 BC.
It was documented most prominently in 1281 publication 삼국유사, but numerous references exist testifying
that the teaching has served as the guiding doctrine both for the rulers in governance and general populace
in ordinary lives through millennia.