World-renowned Agricultural Scientist and Botanist

At the time of Korea’s independence from the Japanese colonial rule in 1945, nearly 80% of the Korean population worked in the agricultural sector. But, having relied entirely on imported seeds from Japan for the entire 36 years under Japanese occupation, there were few if any people or businesses that could produce seeds or saplings for vegetables. The severing of diplomatic ties with Japan following liberation put Korea in a bind over where to get seeds for farming. That was when Korea found Dr. U Jang-choon who was studying in Japan at the time. Dr. U would become the savior of the nation’s backbone industry.

U was born in Japan on April 9th, 1898 between a Korean father and a Japanese mother. His father, U Beom-seon sought asylum in Japan after getting involved in the 1895 assassination of Empress Myeongseong. The younger U lost his father when he was only five years old and had to spend three years at an orphanage because his family was so poor. But his mother brought him home with the money she made from selling his father’s graveyard. His mother’s dedication and scholarship were what kept his academic endeavors alive at the agricultural studies department of Tokyo University.

U suffered discrimination for his Korean background, but he landed a job at the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture upon graduation in 1919. That is when his career in botanical breeding took off. He eventually stunned the international botanical community with his genetics study on the cross-breeding of species. At the time, some botanists claimed that a new species could be created by hybridizing different species, but they could not prove it scientifically. Dr. U combined the chromosomes of napa cabbages and green cabbages to create a new breed and showed that the same cross-breeding process could be applied to produce cress and Ethiopian mustard.

Some of his renowned achievements include ‘U’s Triangle,’ a seminal work on species hybridization, and his papers on turning uniflorous petunia flowers into compound flowers. He earned his doctorate in agriculture from Tokyo University in 1936, further propelling his career as a botanist. His studies have built the theoretical framework for genetic engineering and were introduced in the science textbooks of Sweden and many other countries.

Choosing to Help His Motherland

Although he was guaranteed a prestigious career anywhere in the world, Dr. U chose to return to Korea in 1950. He had accepted the Korean government’s invitation to jump-start the nation’s sputtering agricultural industry. He settled in the newly established Korean Agricultural Science Research Institute near the city of Busan and promptly went on to promote better farming technologies and develop new high-yield seeds.

The Korean War broke out just months after Dr. U arrived in Korea, but his research continued in the lesser war-ravaged area of Busan. After the war he developed germ-resistant potatoes to ease the country’s food shortage and improved cabbage and radish seeds to help Korea secure its own supply of vegetable seeds. He also succeeded in cultivating the seedless watermelon in 1953, planting a faith in scientific farming in Korean people.

Cornerstone of Agricultural Independence

Dr. U played a pivotal role in transforming Korea from a seed importer into a seed exporting nation, and taking the nation’s underdeveloped plant breeding industry to a much higher level. He was also able to establish a high quality seed production system before his death on August 10, 1959.

His dedication and brilliant mind resulted in Korean “seed independence,” the foundation for today’s food self-sufficiency. This is why he is still being admired decades after his death as the father of modern Korean agriculture.