Korea, Japan, China include 3 more in Campus Asia collaboration

The Campus Asia, a cross-border student mobility program among Korea, Japan and China, has been expanded to include Southeast Asian countries and designated 20 project groups, education authorities said Tuesday.

This photo shows President Moon Jae-in (on screen, from second from right in the top row), Japan's former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during the Asean Plus Three virtual summit held on Nov. 14, 2020. [YONHAP]

The Campus Asia, a cross-border student mobility program among Korea, Japan and China, has been expanded to include Southeast Asian countries and designated 20 project groups, education authorities said Tuesday.

Campus Asia (Collective Action for Mobility Program of University Students in Asia) was first proposed at the Korea-Japan-China summit in 2010 and was launched as an educational collaboration project to train a new generation of leaders in Asia, much like the Erasmus program in Europe. Since 2011, total of 6,625 students have participated, and 497 people have obtained dual degrees under the program.

The Education Ministry and the Korean Council for University Education announced Tuesday that starting this year, three Asean countries will participate, under a new name: Campus Asia Plus. The countries joining are Singapore, Malaysia and Laos.

The authorities said Korea, Japan and China have singled out 20 project groups for the program after undergoing reviews.

Singapore's Nanyang Technological University will participate in a dual degree project with Seoul’s Korea University, Tokyo’s Waseda University and Beijing’s Peking University. Thailand’s Mahidol University will join the program with Seoul’s Yonsei University, Tokyo’s Osaka University and Beijing’s Peking University.

Some programs include more than five schools and countries.

Korea National University of Education will operate the program with the University of Tsukuba (Japan), East China Normal University (China), Khon Kaen University (Thailand), University of Technology Malaysia (Malaysia) and the Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia).

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies will provide education with Hiroshima University (Japan), Beijing Normal University (China), Changchun University (China), Indonesia University of Education (Indonesia) and Kasetsart University (Thailand).

Selected universities will receive an average of 120 million won ($102,000) per year for program operation costs until 2026. In addition, exchange students participating in the program may receive accommodation expenses, settlement support and emergency assistance expenses.

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, strengthening educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between Korea, Japan and China and Asean have become more important,” said Vice Minister of Education Jung Jong-chul, vowing to actively support the program to nurture international talents who will lead the future society.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]