[Meet the President] Chungnam National University wants international students to see the positives in Korea

Cheap tuition, affordable living and safety. Lee Jin-sook, president of Chungnam National University, didn’t hesitate to name the three best aspects of attending her alma mater in Daejeon.

Lee Jin-sook, president of Chungnam National University in Daejeon, is making every effort she can to prevent local society’s brightest minds from flocking to the capital in search of better opportunities. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Cheap tuition, affordable living and safety.

Lee Jin-sook, president of Chungnam National University, didn’t hesitate to name the three best aspects of attending her alma mater in Daejeon.

Herself a former international student in Japan, understanding the needs and wants of foreigners often comes from personal experience. Lately, she’s been concerned that Korea, as a nation, isn’t prepared to welcome the newcomers - just like how she sometimes didn’t feel welcomed in Japan four decades ago.

“You never forget that anger boiling inside you when you feel that people don’t respect your country or culture,” Lee told the Korea JoongAng Daily during a recent interview in her office.

“You eventually end up leaving the country harboring resentment toward it, and I don’t think any international student should feel that way about Korea.”

In the interview, Lee explained how Chungnam National University was trying to build a better campus for international students and why studying in Daejeon was a far better option over Seoul.

The following are edited excerpts of that conversation.

Q : How would you introduce Chungnam National University to prospective international students?

A : Chungnam National University is the best national university in Korea’s central region with nearly 1,000 international students from 78 different countries. Last year, it celebrated its 70th anniversary and established a school of international studies to nurture global leaders. Chungnam National University is striving to improve its curricula and credit exchanges with other national universities, hoping to break into the world’s best 200 universities.

An aerial view of the Daedoek Campus [CHUNGNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Q : What strengths does your university have that others don’t?

A : Chungnam National University’s Daedeok Campus is surrounded by national science institutes and research centers of global companies, allowing it to play a key role in research and higher education. There's also the Bowun Campus, which hosts a college of medicine, college of nursing and the graduate school of public health. The university is located in the heart of Daejeon, which is near the Seoul metropolitan area and home to the Yuseong Hot Spring, Hanbat Arboretum and Daejeon Expo Park.

Two dogs of the native spotted sapsaree breed are shown to the public on May 24, 2017, at Daejeon O-World after they were cloned by a research team at Chungnam National University. [KIM SEONG-TAE]

Q : With most international students in Korea attending school in Seoul, it may not be an easy decision for someone planning to study in Korea to choose Daejeon.

A : I was born and raised in Daejeon, and can say for sure that it’s a safe place to live in, which I think would be a top priority for any international student. Chungnam National University is in the vicinity of many research centers and is located in the city’s downtown area. Daejeon is at the center of Korea, which makes travel easy.

The Hanbit Tower at Daejeon Expo Park, which symbolizes the 1993 Daejeon Expo [JOONGANG ILBO]

Q : What’s Chungnam National University’s globalization strategy?

A : After years of hard work, we established a school of international studies in 2022, which is composed of a global studies major and a Korean cultural studies major. The global studies major is taught in English and enrolled in by domestic and international students, whereas the Korean cultural studies major is taught in Korean and enrolled in by international students only. In terms of our entire student body, 4 percent of students enrolled at Chungnam National University are foreigners from over 70 countries across the globe. About 300 students are sent abroad every year to participate in some sort of an exchange or global training program. Some 30 students from low-income households are specially chosen every year to partake in an overseas training program that’s sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Student Aid Foundation.

Q : What benefits are offered to international students?

A : International students are eligible for various kinds of scholarships and free Korean language learning programs that teach speaking and writing. There are also Korean cultural programs and a dormitory specially designated for international students, equipped with a communal kitchen and praying room. A one-on-one tutor program with a Korean student allows international students to receive help on practical issues, and a counselor provides help for any difficulty regarding settling down. We also partnered up with a dentist nearby that provides free treatment every Friday.

A structure resembling the iconic five-story stone pagoda at the Jeongnim Temple site of the Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C. to A.D. 660) stands near the library at Chungnam National University’s Daedeok Campus, signifying "the spirit of cultural creativity of Korea’s forefathers." [CHUNGNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Q : Chungnam National University recently signed an agreement with neighboring Hanbat National University to officially commence negotiations on combining the two schools. How will the process go?

A : We’re just starting discussions to design a good road map as to how this thing will actually work. We each have our strengths: Hanbat National University is strong in entrepreneurship, industrial cooperation and engineering studies, while Chungnam National University is the best comprehensive research-based university in the region, so I think the two schools could create good synergy.

Chungnam National University President Lee, left, signs an agreement with Hanbat National University President Choi Byoung-wook on Dec. 28 in Daejeon to officially launch discussions on combining the two universities. [YONHAP]

Q : Is the combination of the two universities in response to the country’s student population decline?

A : Yes, one reason is that and the other reason is to innovate. On the second reason, some might ask, well, why can’t Chungnam National University just innovate on its own? But it’s not that simple because we alone don’t have enough resources to innovate. Our goal is to build a better university by combining with Hanbat National University and discussing what to focus on and what not to focus on.

Q : Are there any other solutions you have in mind to tackle the shrinking student population crisis?

A : We have a special scholarship program called the CNU Honor Scholarship through which we offer as much as 200 million won [$160,000] to the highest-performing students. There’s also the Global Honors Scholarship, through which we sponsor students’ overseas training and language learning opportunities. We’re trying to think of more ways to stop talented students in local society from moving to the Seoul metropolitan area.

Lee donates 100 million won ($81,000) to her university on March 23, 2021, to use for the CNU Honor Scholarship, which is offered to the highest-performing students on campus, offering as much as 200 million won per person. [YONHAP]

Q : Have you ever spoken to international students on campus? What’s their biggest complaint about your school at the moment?

A : It’s more like a problem that the entire country has right now - inclusivity. I used to be an international student myself. I studied in Japan, and the biggest problem was that I didn’t feel included. And we have to be really careful about letting international students feel that way about Korea because that bad impression never goes away. That’s part of the reason why we established a school for international studies, to better focus on the needs of international students and make sure no one gets left behind.

Q : What efforts must be taken for international students to leave Korea with a good impression?

A : On the university level, I think schools should provide the best services to international students and make sure they don’t feel left out, like providing foreign internship opportunities through cooperation with companies. On the national level, there needs to be a major shift in how society perceives international students. Many students are here to learn our ways because Korea is more developed than their home countries, so I think it’s crucial that we be more generous to them.

━ President’s bio

Lee Jin-sook is the 19th president of Chungnam National University. Her four-year term began in February 2020. She has been a professor of architectural engineering at the university since 1989.

On campus, Lee previously served as the vice president for international affairs and as the dean of the College of Engineering and the Graduate School of Industry. Her off-campus roles include working as a member of the Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy and the Presidential Advisory Council on Science & Technology; an executive of the Korea University Sport Federation and the Architectural Institute of Korea; and a two-term president of the Korea Society of Color Studies.

Lee earned her bachelor’s in education of architectural engineering at Chungnam National University and a master’s in architectural planning at the same university. She received her Ph.D. in architectural environmental planning from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

━ About the university

Name Chungnam National University

Type National

Established May 25, 1952

English slogan CNU 100 Years - New start, toward a Great Future

Location Daedeok Campus: Yuseong District, Daejeon Bowun Campus: Jung District, Daejeon

Campus size 1,981,013 square meters (489.52 acres)

Undergraduate colleges and departments Colleges: 14 Schools and departments: 95

Graduate schools 14

Students (2021) Undergraduates: 22,870 Postgraduates: 5,509 Total: 28,379

Full-time academic staff (2021) 933

Administrative staff (2021) 747

Employment rate (2021) 62.5 percent

English websiteplus.cnu.ac.kr/html/en/

International students

Number of students Undergraduates: 412 Postgraduates: 454 Short-term students (language learning, exchange program, etc.): 231 Total: 1,097

By country China 35 percent Vietnam 17 percent Uzbekistan 9 percent Other 39 percent (76 countries and Hong Kong)

Department with the most international students (2022) College of Economics and Management

Dormitory acceptance rate (2022) 11 percent

Average tuition of self-funded undergraduate students per semester (2022) 2.1 million won ($1,680)

Instagram @cnu_int

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]