Won Pyong-oh

Who is Won Pyong-oh?

Won Pyong Oh is a South Korean zoologist, known particularly for his work on Korean birds. He is the son of noted North Korean ornithologist Won Hong-gu. He has published approximately 120 papers on Korean ornithology. He has also published about 10 book-length studies of Korean zoology, although none have been translated into English.

Born in Kaesong, Won began his college education in North Korea, graduating from Wonsan Agricultural College in 1950 with a degree in animal husbandry. With the outbreak of the Korean War in that year, he moved to the South, while his parents and one brother remained in the North. He obtained a second degree in biology from Kyunghee University in 1959, and went on to get his doctorate from Japan's Hokkaido College in 1961. He then took a professorship at Kyunghee, where he remained throughout his career.

In 1965, a Daurian Starling tagged by Won was found and reported by his father. This was the closest contact between the two men after they were separated by the war. In 2002, Won was finally granted permission to visit the North, although his parents and brother were dead.

As of 2006, Won was professor emeritus at Kyunghee University.