[Meet the President] Chonnam National University creates an ecosystem of opportunity on its historic campus

The year 1980 was a tumultuous time in Korea, and especially so for the city of Gwangju.

More than 40 years after the Gwangju Uprising, Chonnam National University President Jung Sung-taek wants to create an “ecosystem” of resources that students at his alma mater can utilize to realize their dreams. [PARK SANG-MOON]

The year 1980 was a tumultuous time in Korea, and especially so for the city of Gwangju.

Massive crowds of protesters took to the streets in the southwestern city that May to fight against the military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan, who seized power through a coup and ruled the country with an iron fist.

The Chun regime mobilized military soldiers, tanks and helicopters to quell the protests, opening fire on civilian protestors and killing countless lives.

What was later known as the Gwangju Uprising began at the front gates of Chonnam National University on May 18, when hundreds of students were blocked entry by an Army brigade at the onset of martial law.

Chonnam National University students refused to back down, and their unyielding resistance echoed throughout society.

That spirit lives on to this day, said Chonnam President Jung Sung-taek during a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. Now, in an ever-changing world with new technologies and aspirations, Jung said he hopes to create an “ecosystem” of resources that students can utilize to realize their dreams.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

Q. How would you introduce Chonnam National University to prospective international students?A.It’s a national university located in the southwest part of the country, a leading university in Gwangju and the surrounding Jeolla provinces that was established in 1952. There are about 30,000 students and 3,000 faculty members across nearly 150 majors, making it a rich academic ecosystem. Chonnam National University is a comprehensive university that also ensures the health of local residents with its five hospitals in the region.

An aerial view of Chonnam National University’s Gwangju Campus [CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

What are some strengths of Chonnam National University? We have so many different majors, all the majors needed for humanity. And I think that enables us to serve a key role expected of universities, which is to study deep existential questions like the meaning of life. It’s not so much about the employment rate. It’s about being on a campus with students from diverse academic backgrounds and interacting with them. This enriching experience lasts much longer than picking up a practical skill you’ll only use maybe five years down the road. Chonnam National University also takes pride in its abundant green spaces and forests, which some people say make the campus look more like an ecological park.

What is Chonnam National University’s globalization strategy? Our foremost goal is to join hands with globally renowned companies to seek industry-academia collaboration. It’s impossible for universities to catch up with today’s scientific and technological advancement without the help of the corporate world, which is why we’re trying to fuse their cutting-edge knowledge with our rich academic ecosystem. To this end, I had the opportunity to visit the Google headquarters in January with a Gwangju delegation that included the mayor and heads of the Gwangju City Council and Gwangju Technopark. We asked about Google’s goals and specialized industries. And already we’re seeing some progress from those discussions because Chonnam National University is in talks with Google to open an expert-level program on cloud-based artificial intelligence. We have other exciting initiatives with Kakao and Microsoft as well.

Chonnam National University President Jung, right, poses with Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung, center, and Park Min-jae, Google field sales representative, left, at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, during a visit to the tech giant in January. [CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Data shows that the majority of international students live in the Seoul metropolitan area. For anyone out there who’s considering a degree at a Korean university, what do you think are some benefits of studying in the Gwangju and South Jeolla region? At our latest graduation ceremony in February, Chonnam National University awarded doctoral degrees to a total of 153 graduates, and over one-third, or 52 students, were international students. I think this is a testament to the favorable research environment and various support benefits that our university provides. According to a survey conducted among international students at our university, 31.3 percent of the respondents selected the living environment as the most satisfying aspect. The significantly lower cost of living, plus the low tuition fees for studying at a national university like ours, are what I think are the biggest advantages of attending Chonnam National University.

Students clash with soldiers at the front gates of Chonnam National University on May 18, 1980, at the start of the Gwangju Uprising. [JOONGANG ILBO]

What are some benefits offered to international students at Chonnam National University? We offer a Korean learning program at the Yeosu Campus for international students who don’t speak the language fluently. We also have one-on-one buddy programs and mentoring programs, where Korean students help out with any difficulties international students may face with school life. Additionally, we organize various cultural events and programs to enhance foreign students’ understanding of Korean culture and improve their adaptation to Korean life, and promote cultural exchange between Korean and international students.

Medical staff at Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju celebrate the recent recovery of a Cambodian patient after she was invited to the hospital for free heart surgery. [CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

What’s Chonnam National University’s development plan? Our university aims to be a university that’s strong in change and convergence, a university that leads the times, and a university that collaborates with the community for mutual growth. To achieve this, we’ve developed 40 detailed execution strategies across five major areas: education, research, specialization and industry-academia cooperation, regional cooperation, and university management. As a flagship national university, we also feel a need to collaborate with other universities in the region to lead the advancement of higher education. In fact, we operated over 300 programs in the new energy technology and future transportation equipment industries through the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Innovation Platform. As a result, we trained over 5,000 people, developed nearly 100 technologies and received about 30 cases of corporate support.

A team led by Kim Dae-kil, a professor at the university’s Arts College, works on a statue of Korean independence activist Yu Gwan-sun in 2020. [WOO SANG-JO]

What advice do you have for foreigners who wish to study in Korea? Don’t rush to define who you are and what you’re capable of doing. Open yourself up to opportunities and look around you. Show an interest in your society and become someone that can touch other people’s hearts. That’s not going to happen overnight, and certainly not with a single talent, which is why it’s important to pick up a lot of skills and harmonize with others.

A side of a building on the school campus shows a mural depicting the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. [PARK SANG-MOON]

━ President’s bio

Jung Sung-taek is the 21st president of Chonnam National University. His four-year term began in January 2021.

Jung is a member of the Institutional Assessment and Accreditation Committee at the Korean Council for University Education, and of the Committee for the Promotion of Provincial Universities and Balanced Regional Human Resources Development. He is also a board member of the Korean Orthopedic Association and previously served as the president of the Korean Pediatric Orthopedic Society.

He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in medicine from Chonnam National University.

━ About the university

Name Chonnam National University

Type National

Established June 9, 1952

English slogan Change N Unite

Location Gwangju Campus: Gwangju Yeosu Campus: Yeosu, South Jeolla

Campus size 11,191,047 square meters (2,765 acres)

Undergraduate colleges and departments Colleges: 17 Schools and departments: 111

Graduate schools 12

Students (2022) Undergraduates: 25,646 Postgraduates: 5,507 Total: 31,153

Academic staff (2022) 2,667

Administrative staff (2022) 916

Employment rate (2022) 59.2 percent

English websiteglobal.jnu.ac.kr

International students

Students (2022) Undergraduates: 751 Postgraduates: 726 Short-term students (language learning, exchange program, etc.): 273 Total: 1,750

By country China 43 percent Uzbekistan 26.5 percent Vietnam 6.2 percent Other 24.3 percent (70 countries and Hong Kong)

Department with the most international students (2022) School of Business Administration

Dormitory acceptance rate (2022) 26 percent

Average tuition of self-funded undergraduate students (2022) 1.8 million won ($1,360)

Social media Instagram: @chonnam_oia YouTube: @ChonnamNationalUniversityOIA

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