Flagship national universities to cooperate to solve Korea's challenges

Korea's 10 flagship national universities announced Thursday they will closely cooperate to promote balanced growth between regions in the country and foster talent in sciences. The schools, including Seoul National University (SNU), Pusan ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, sixth from left, poses for a photo with presidents of 10 national universities after agreeing to strengthen partnerships with each other on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Korea's 10 flagship national universities announced Thursday they will closely cooperate to promote balanced growth between regions in the country and foster talent in sciences.

The schools, including Seoul National University (SNU), Pusan National University, Jeonbuk National University and Gyeongsang National University, met at the SNU campus on Wednesday to sign the partnership, according to Korea National University 10 (KNU10), an association of Korea's 10 flagship national universities.

To achieve those goals, the universities plan to jointly establish a research center focusing on quantum mechanics, bio and secondary batteries.

They will also encourage networking and collaboration among their faculty and researchers.

More credit exchange opportunities will be offered for students, with a student from one university allowed to take more courses or study for a semester at other schools.

"Although there were credit exchanges in the past, it's now an important time for universities to provide more of those opportunities," Ryu Hong-lim, president of SNU, said. "Universities have to come forward to create networks among students."

Academic resources and lectures will also be shared among the universities.

"The challenges Korea faces, such as the population being centered in greater Seoul, people leaving rural areas, low fertility rate and high competition to get into universities, are problems related to universities," Cha Jeong-in, president of Pusan National University and head of KNU10, said.

"Presidents of national universities have been discussing those problems with a strong sense of responsibility for our society, and we will strengthen cooperation among the universities by building educational and research networks."

The government said it plans to support more collaborations between universities if the partnership proves to be effective.

"To gain a competitive edge in the global competition for advanced technology, cooperation among universities is important," Lee Ju-ho, deputy prime minister and education minister, said.

"If we see successful collaborations among national universities from the partnership, we will continue to actively support university-led innovation."

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]