Cho Ki-hung, the president of Pyeongtaek University, received the Prince Takamado Award from the Prince Takamado Memorial Foundation for Japan-Korea Exchange, Monday, for his years of work in building ties between the two countries.

Cho, 81, was awarded for organizing various student exchange programs between the two countries for more than 40 years. Princess Hisako, the widow of Prince Takamado, handed the award to Cho at the fifth award ceremony held in Tokyo, the foundation said.

The foundation was established to honor the late Prince Takamado Norihito of Japan, who was an honorary president of the Japan Football Association during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The prince was the first Japanese royal family member to visit Seoul since World War II, when he came in 2002.

Since 1996, Cho has been leading Pyeongtaek University, first founded as the Pierson Memorial Bible School in 1912 in Seoul. It was renamed the Pierson Memorial Bible Seminary in 1968 and moved to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in 1981. The Pyeongtaek University president also serves as chairman of the Seoul YMCA Board.

By Oh Kyu-wook
(596story@heraldcorp.com)