SNU Names Choi Haecheon Final Candidate for Next President in "Upset" Despite Second-Place Policy Evaluation Finish (Roundup)

Engineering Professor Selected for First Time in 20 Years... Pledges KRW 2 Trillion in Funding
Selected After Candidate Vetting Controversy... Takes Office in February

Choi Haecheon, a 64-year-old professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected as the final candidate for the 29th president of Seoul National University. The decision came as a surprise, as Choi, who ranked second in the university's policy evaluation, was chosen as the final candidate.

Choi Haecheon, Chair Professor at Seoul National University. Department website

On November 8, the SNU Board of Trustees announced that it had selected Choi as the final candidate after conducting final interviews and a secret ballot for the three presidential candidates. The board reviewed the candidates' visions for running the university and their key pledges before voting. The specific number of votes received by each candidate was not disclosed.

Choi earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in the United States. He has been a professor at SNU since 1993 and has served as dean of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, and president of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers. After being appointed a chair professor at SNU in 2024, he was appointed a special chair professor in March this year. In 2023, he was named one of the "Machinery Persons of the Year" by the Korea Association of Machinery Industry.

During the election, Choi stressed the need to attract outstanding researchers and improve faculty compensation, saying, "We need to make the university a place where scholars want to come." He pledged to provide professors with KRW 10 million each per year in education and research allowances and to expand the number of chair professors and special chair professors. He also promised to triple the initial research funding for new faculty members and increase support for outstanding faculty in each academic field.

Expanding the university's finances was another key pledge. Choi proposed building a large-scale public research platform spanning the humanities and social sciences as well as science and technology, and raising KRW 2 trillion in new funds over his four-year term through collaboration with businesses and the government. He also announced plans to secure KRW 900 billion by launching SNU Mega Frontier Partners, an initiative to build strategic partnerships with corporate executives.

The election outcome differed from the rankings in the university's earlier policy evaluation. In the evaluation announced on October 14, Choi ranked second with 125.15 points, or 25.5%, out of 490. Kang Junho, a professor in the Department of Physical Education, ranked first with 169.25 points, or 34.5%, while Lee Jaeyoung, a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, ranked third with 113.11 points, or 23.1%. The result is considered unusual because the candidate who ranks first in the policy evaluation has generally been selected as the final candidate.

The policy evaluation results also differed between faculty and staff and students. Kang led in the faculty and staff evaluation, while Choi had the advantage in the student evaluation. However, the student evaluation accounted for only 9.5% of the overall score, leaving Kang in first place overall. The board has the authority to select the final candidate, so the policy evaluation rankings do not automatically determine the final outcome.

A total of 12 people, including incumbent President Yoo Honglim, ran in this presidential election. In April, SNU formed its Presidential Recommendation Committee and invited candidates from inside and outside the university. Following candidate presentations and a policy evaluation involving faculty, staff, and students, the committee recommended Choi, Kang, and Lee to the board.

The presidential selection process did not proceed smoothly throughout. Allegations of misconduct involving some candidates and questions about the adequacy of the vetting sparked controversy, prompting a postponement of the final interviews. The board had initially planned to interview the candidates on October 27, but moved the interviews to November 8 after deciding that further vetting was needed.

On October 22, the SNU Faculty Association issued a statement saying it respected the board's decision to conduct further vetting and called for a special audit of the candidates. It called for a thorough review, arguing that candidates should not be exempt from the rules and standards applied to ordinary professors simply because they were running for university president. Others, however, questioned the motives behind the allegations raised ahead of the election.

Choi is expected to take office as the 29th president of Seoul National University following a nomination by the education minister and appointment by the president. His four-year term will begin on February 1 next year.

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