Three Flagship National Universities Selected for 'Establishing 10 Seoul National Universities': Pusan, Chonnam, and Chungnam

Around 70 Billion Won per University This Year,
Five-Year Support Continuing Through 2030

As part of the “Establishing 10 Seoul National Universities” initiative, which is one of the key national policy objectives of the Lee Jaemyung administration, Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, and Chungnam National University have been selected as the final recipients for the package support program among three designated flagship national universities.

Yonhap News

On September 1, the Ministry of Education announced the selection results for the flagship national universities at the Government Complex Seoul.

In April, the Ministry of Education introduced a plan to foster local talent in connection with regional growth engines, aiming to nurture core talent in a timely manner and establish a virtuous cycle structure where students pursue higher education, grow, and settle locally. The purpose of this plan is to develop flagship national universities as key anchors for regional development and as academia-industry-research platforms that attract outstanding talent.

For the selected universities, support will be provided in a package encompassing both the “5-Pillar, 3-Specialization” growth engine industries (strategic industries) and artificial intelligence (AI), covering undergraduate through graduate schools and research institutes. Including support for the “5-Pillar, 3-Specialization Shared University,” which enables cooperation between flagship national universities and regional universities, each selected university is expected to receive a budget of approximately 70 billion won.

To select recipients of this support, the Ministry of Education organized a working committee composed of government officials from eight ministries, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as external experts recommended by government officials. The committee reviewed applicants based on four selection criteria: alignment with the National Territorial Space Grand Transformation Project Strategy, local conditions and preparedness, university conditions and preparedness, and overall educational and research innovation as well as structural improvement at the university level. In particular, they focused on how concretely and feasibly each university presented its plans for educational and research innovation aligned with local industrial foundations, taking into account regional and industrial circumstances and each university’s level of preparation within the context of the national balanced development strategy. The Ministry explained, “The three selected universities were recognized for implementing specific educational and research plans and establishing academia-industry-research cooperation systems to foster the workforce for regional growth engine industries such as megaprojects, as well as for effectively linking the government’s balanced development strategy and each university’s capabilities.” It added, “They were assessed as likely to achieve high feasibility and ripple effects, as well as deliver tangible results within a short timeframe.”

Pusan National University plans to establish a new Innovation Manufacturing Convergence College covering the Southeast region’s growth engine industries, including shipbuilding and marine, mechanical systems, and aerospace. The university also aims to create new contract departments in partnership with LG Electronics and the three Hanwha companies, with the goal of nurturing a college ranked in the world’s top 100. Plans also include establishing the largest AI college in Korea and converting the Yangsan Campus into an industrial AI transformation (AX) research campus to support regional growth in the Southeast. The university intends to share this infrastructure across the super-regional Shared University platform and will jointly manage a marine-capital convergence major with other Southeast region universities. Pusan National University was evaluated as having a high potential for realization and impact, given its alignment with local industry conditions, planned investments, and the government’s Southern Marine Capital Region development strategy.

Chonnam National University will establish a new Advanced Convergence College focused on advanced semiconductors and future energy sectors, and has presented concrete plans to expand and operate company-participation courses. It also plans to expand the Amkor Semiconductor Packaging Joint Research Center model to other companies, including Samsung and Korea Electric Power Corporation, and take responsibility for nurturing AI talent through large-scale, full-cycle AI transformation (AX) projects. As a result, Chonnam National University was highly rated for being well-aligned with the national balanced growth strategy, including the creation of an industrial base through significant megaproject investment and policy conditions arising from the establishment of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City.

Chungnam National University will create the NEXUS College of Science and Technology and promote joint education and research cooperation based on a partnership governance structure with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), positioning itself as the central university supplying industry and research professionals for the four main growth engines in the central region. The university, anchor corporations, and KAIST will jointly design and manage curricula and operate an integrated academia-industry educational innovation system linking major anchor corporations’ recruitment pathways. Chungnam National University received high marks for recognizing opportunities from large-scale megaproject investments in the central region, as well as for leveraging the advantages of being in an area with many research institutes, such as the Daedeok Innopolis and government-funded research organizations, thus creating a strong potential for balanced growth ripple effects.

Minister of Education Choi Gyojin said, “We will continue collaborating with relevant ministries to create successful regional growth models through local universities and deliver outcomes that the public can truly feel.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.