Sookmyung Women's University (Korean: 숙명여자대학교) is a private women's research university in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1906, Sookmyung is Korea’s first royal private educational institution for women. Sookmyung is one of the world's largest female educational institutes. The university's name is derived from the Hanja characters of sook and Myung, which mean "elegant" and "bright" respectively.