South Korean man completes master’s degree despite being paralysed

A student in South Korea proved that nothing can get in the way of him getting his master’s degree.

Jang Ik-sun, defied all odds as he earned his master’s degree despite being almost completely paralysed. The 37-year-old achieved this milestone despite living with muscular dystrophy, a condition which has left him almost entirely paralysed except for his ability to speak and blink, according to South Korean English newspaper, The Korea Herald.

Ik-sun was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of five, which weakened and degenerated his muscles, gradually taking away his ability to move. But this did not deter his determination to pursue an education.

A student at Gwangju University, Ik-sun officially received his master’s degree at the 2024 academic year’s first graduation ceremony on February 21. He also received an academic award in recognition of his achievement, the University confirmed on Sunday, February 23.

Ik-sun who had no ability to write, used to rely on a personal scanner to digitise books that weren’t available as e-books, as “it was the only way I could read them,” he reportedly said at his graduation ceremony.

“Scanning each book was exhausting,” he added.

He also stated he struggled to memorise information as he could not take down notes, which he was able to do earlier until his muscles degenerated.

Besides being a student at Gwangju University, Ik-sun worked during the day at the Gwangju Muscular Dystrophy Association as an advocate for people with similar genetic muscle disorders. He was able to study until early hours with the help of an assistant who transcribed lecture materials for him, until he faced one of his biggest challenges – typing out his thesis.

Ik-sun’s research – the right to life for people with muscle disorders, highlighting the dangers of insufficient caregiving support – had to be typed out using an eye tracking mouse. This device was used to translate his eye movements into cursor commands, making him type each word, letter by letter, by blinking.

In a post on his Instagram account, Ik-sun thanked his professors by name who he thanked for, “lending me a seat, and enabling me to go to graduate school and for teaching me to view the disability movement as a ‘subject of rights’.”

He went on to thank his family saying, “I dedicate this joy to my family who have always been by my side and supported me. Thank you very much to my mother who watched me with the belief that ‘you can do it’, my younger brother who has taken care of me since childhood and now a great teacher.”

Jang Ik-sun also runs a YouTube channel called “Ik-sun Jang, a man who blinks 10 million times”, where he raises awareness about the condition.

According to The Korea Herald, Ik-sun said, “Muscular dystrophy patients like us are invisible. I want to bring them out of the shadows and into the light.”

He added, “Failure is not defeat as long as you don’t give up. Everyone deserves a chance.”