Alumnus Earns Achievement in Business and Industry Award
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Byoung-chul Min is the 2024 Alumni Achievement in Business and Industry Award recipient.
(Photo: Byoung-chul Min)
Dedicating his career to education and using technology to make the world a better place, Dr. Byoung-chul Min, M.S.Ed. '91, Ed.D. '98, is empowering learners of all ages and contributing to South Korea's globalization.
As founder and chairman of the BCM Educational Group, Min grew the business from a publishing company to one of the largest language educational companies in Korea. It’s most widely known for its flagship English learning service, Uphone, which offers one-on-one instruction and conversation practice with live language instructors and AI over the phone.
“BCM Educational Group employs more than 500 professionals,” said Min. “Our culture is guided by six core values: integrity, passion, transparency, open communication, commitment to excellence, and the drive for change. And, our core mission is to help others reach their highest potential and become the best version of themselves. This commitment is at the heart of everything we do.”
Min advocates for personal and organizational advancement through education. In addition to his commitment to BCM Educational Group’s EdTech, he is a university business professor, founder of a non-profit organization, and human rights activist.
Dr. Byoung-chul Min is the recipient of this year’s Alumni Achievement in Business and Industry Award because of his business success and inspiring dedication to education and the advancement of society.
Growing up in Seoul, South Korea, during the period after the Korean War, a chance encounter with an Australian missionary changed the trajectory of Min’s life forever.
“On Sundays, after attending church, I would visit his home behind the church and spend time with his family,” Min said. “This is where I became interested in English, which was the first step in my career as an English educator. I wanted to study in the U.S., and in researching U.S. universities that specialized in pedagogy, I found that NIU offered an excellent program, especially in the area of adult continuing education.”
Beginning in 1989, Min began pursuing his M.S.Ed. on the DeKalb campus, and this decision proved to be an incredible and life-changing experience.
“NIU has shaped my journey in many ways,” Min said. “Being in an environment that offered not just classroom-based learning but also knowledge beyond the classrooms, I was able to step outside the box and think ahead.”
After earning his M.S.Ed. in 1991, Min decided to pursue his doctorate in adult continuing education at NIU, enabling him to achieve his dream of becoming a professor. It was the advice of his doctoral advisor, Dr. Richard Orem, that led Min to focus his future and the title of his dissertation on “A Study of the Attitudes of Korean Adults Toward Technology-Assisted Instruction in English Language Programs.”
Today, with 44 years of experience teaching English, Min’s philosophy on education—and the basis of The BCM Educational Group’s success—is to learn consistently every day. He also carries with him one of the most valuable lessons he learned at NIU.
“Professor Paul Ilsley's Future Invention course helped me develop the ability to become a reflective practitioner, enabling me to anticipate and shape my future,” said Min. “My advice to current students is to always think ahead in life and take the time to reflect on your experiences. This mindset will not only help you adapt to change but also empower you to shape your own future. Equally important, strive to help others become the best they can become.”
With that same goal in mind, as an Endowed Chair Professor at Global MBA, Chung-Ang University, Min developed an AI - Metaverse Business Creativity course. He teaches students how to create their own business proposals from the ground up using AI tools in the Metaverse and their own creativity. As part of the curriculum, he connects students with global companies in leading industries to meet top business professionals and receive critical feedback on their aspiring ideas.
“The best part of my job is seeing my students working with real-life problems and providing solutions to top-notch businesses,” Min said.
From 1981 to 1991, Min hosted and presented his own English instructional TV programs on major Korean networks. His 10 years of teaching practical English on TV is recognized for contributing to Korea's globalization.
In addition to teaching and building EdTech solutions for the masses, Min is the pioneer of two philanthropic efforts: the Sunfull Movement and the K-Respect Campaign. He also established the world’s first Internet Peace Prize, recognizing those who promote peace and combat hate via the Internet.
As founder and chairman of the Sunfull Movement, a non-profit international campaign that fights against cyber-bullying, hate speech and human rights violations on the Internet, Min has gathered more than 7,000 schools and organizations and over 840,000 members to participate in the Sunfull Foundation’s Internet Peace Movement. With unanimous support from all 299 (100%) of the 21st National Assembly of South Korea, a declaration was signed supporting the Sunfull Movement. The movement has also garnered support from more than half of the Republic of Philippines elected House of Representatives as of October 2024.
“I was motivated to create the campaign in 2007 when a Korean singer died of suicide after a large number of malicious comments attacking her were posted on the Internet,” explained Min. “In 2023, the movement reached a milestone of over 10 million positive comments on the Sunfull Internet Peace Movement website, making it the biggest milestone in its 16 years of journey.”
Through Sunfull Foundation’s K-Respect Campaign, Min is focused on protecting the human rights of foreigners and multicultural families in Korea and globally. For his remarkable efforts, he was honored with the Excellence in Global Harmony award during the third-annual Impact Awards in Manila, hosted by the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Party List and Buhay OFW Foundation in 2024. Min said ‘Sunfull’ in Korean means ‘positive comments,’ and this type of social activism and change-making is central to Min’s life philosophy and motivation to establish the foundation.
“I believe it is important for everyone to give back to society, to make the world a better place,” Min said. “I feel giving back as an individual is so important, and I devote a significant part of my time and energy to extending the Sunfull concept, to teach students about the benefit for both themselves and others to post uplifting comments and encourage others to always use positive language.”
Min, who is also an author of books on Korean culture, English, and business, is interested in bridging the divides between people around the world.
“I think it is important for each one of us to find areas of society that need to be changed, and to work to change those areas,” Min said. “I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious recognition from my alma mater, and my message to everyone at NIU is to create your own success path and then contribute to the greater good by giving back to your community because you shine by making others shine.”