On October 28, Professor Moon Seok-yoon of the Department of Philosophy at Kyung Hee Universityreceived the Toegye Academic Award presented by The Toegye Studies Institute and Dosan Seowon.

Professor Moon Seok-yoon

Photo : KHU (www.khu.ac.kr)

 Through the Toegye Award, Professor Moon was recognized for his research achievements, including his leading participation in the Project for the Compilation of the Critical Edition of the Complete Works of Toegye, establishing its theoretical direction, anchoring its core, and contributing to its publication.

Currently, Moon is actively serving as both a professor teaching students and a philosopher researching Joseon Confucianism.

Toegye Yi Hwang and Professor Moon: Pioneers of Neo-Confucian Thought in East Asia

Toegye Yi Hwang stands as a towering peak in Korean Confucianism and is often called the father of our nation's spiritual culture. His achievements in advancing Neo-Confucianism to a new level are recognized internationally, cementing his place as an indispensable figure in the history of global Confucianism.

Moon has researched Toegye Yi Hwang since 2003, but prior to that, he studied the Horak Controversy, a Korean Neo-Confucian debate that occurred within the Yulgok School in the 18th century. He explained that while writing his dissertation, he felt the need to understand the philosophy at the root of the controversy to properly comprehend it, which led him to begin researching Toegye.


Moon describes Toegye Yi Hwang as “a figure who played a crucial role in the theoretical deepening of Neo-Confucianism, which established the East Asian worldview from the 12th century onward.” The core principles of Neo-Confucianism established by Toegye Yi Hwang had a profound influence on both Korea and Japan.

About the Critical Edition of the Complete Works of Toegye.

Moon stated that previous efforts to organize materials related to Toegye Yi Hwang primarily focused on disseminating them to scholars, leaving a gap in the work of comparing variant texts of Toegye Yi Hwang's writings to establish the original text and improve readability.

Moon, one of the individuals who proposed and designed Project for the Compilation of the Complete Works of Toegye, conducted a comprehensive survey of all Toegye's collected works and related materials held in major libraries nationwide, supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, to work on the authoritative edition of the Complete Works of Toegye.

He extracted, measured, and verified all materials, adding scholarly annotations reflecting past and present research achievements on the relevant works and materials.

Moon explained, “We aimed to produce a critical edition, a research text intended for reference in studies of Toegye Yi Hwang's works.” This critical edition of the Complete Works of Toegye has elevated and solidified the academic standards of Korean studies.

Moreover, this project has laid the groundwork for confidently presenting Korea's classical texts to the world by organizing these precious cultural heritage materials to a reliable standard.

Therefore, The Toegye Studies Institute selected Moon as the recipient of the Toegye Award, recognizing his leading role and significant contributions toProject for the Compilation of the Critical Edition of the Complete Works of Toegye.

The Reason Why Confucian Studies Are Necessary

Regarding his acceptance speech for the Toegye Award, Moon stated, “As a researcher of Toegye, I am delighted and grateful to receive this undeserved honor.” He also expressed his desire to share the joy of the award with the team of Project for the Compilation of the Critical Edition of the Complete Works of Toegye.

Moon emphasized, “In the AI era, reflection on humanity and human life has become necessary, and Confucianism is a vital asset for developing such thinking.” He explained that Confucianism, whether viewed positively or negatively, remains deeply Rooted in Korea's moral consciousness or moral common sense and continues to influence Korean's lives.

Therefore, he accentuated, “If we are to reflect on desirable ways of life within Korea’s current environment, we must start from an understanding of Korea itself—that is, from reflecting on Confucianism and its influence.”

Moreover, Korea’s classical texts serve as shared resources accumulating humanity’s experience and knowledge, documenting how Koreans have structured and pioneered human life. Moon stated, “Through classical studies, people worldwide can understand the universality and diversity of human life and receive help in pioneering their own lives.”

Moon said that through compiling the authoritative edition of Toegye, he is now prepared for his own research on Toegye Yi Hwang. He further stated that his goal is to clarify the uniqueness and universal significance of Korean Neo-Confucian tradition.

Moon received the Toegye Award in recognition of his compilation project, which processed and presented the classical texts of Toegye Yi Hwang—a precious cultural heritage of Korea—to a reliable standard.

This project established significant Confucian texts that shape Korean life, laying a foundation for future Korean studies research.

Moon stated, “I will continue the work of establishing Joseon Confucian texts going forward.”