Chonnam National University emphasizes academic diversity as bio-focused initiative gains momentum

We sit down to speak with Jung Sung-taek, the president of Chonnam National University, about focusing on academic diversity amid economic pressures and plans to go global, while facing challenges in adapting to new fields like AI.

Jung Sung-taek, president of Chonnam National University, poses for a photo at the university campus in Buk District, Gwangju . [PARK SANG-MOON]

As a flagship national university, Chonnam National University aims to ensure students can study in any field imaginable, regardless of whether those fields are in high demand by businesses.

However, the university does have specific areas it aims to focus on.

One of its five campuses is located in Hwasun, which will become a bio-focused campus that helps train physician-scientists. The city has been known for its expertise in bio, designated as a Global Bio Campus by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and has infrastructure such as the Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital and GC Biopharma.

Another goal of the university is to go global.

Its plans include creating global innovation hubs abroad to facilitate joint research with its international partners and creating joint degree programs. It currently has partnerships with 608 universities in 64 countries and 48 research institutes.

Another set of plans, submitted for the Glocal University 30 project, for which the university is currently shortlisted, includes having 3,000 international students by 2026, compared to the current 1,500.

To help the students that come, it is working on the Residence 3000 project, renovating empty houses and commercial buildings in the city and transforming them into international student residences.

To discuss the detailed vision the university has, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down for an interview with Jung Sung-taek, the president of Chonnam National University.

The following are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q: What are Chonnam National University's biggest strengths? A: Korea's education system is stuck in the rigid dichotomy of liberal arts and science, but academic disciplines can't be categorized into one field. Students need to explore various fields to flexibly navigate unforeseen situations. One of Chonnam National University's strengths is that we offer education in all academic fields. As not just a university, but a flagship national university, we aim to diversify our academic offerings. Think about how an entire ecosystem can be affected if one species disappears. Like this, the same applies to academics. We need an educational ecosystem that teaches students in various academic fields because the knowledge and skills needed in times of uncertainty will always change.

But we are losing diversity in academic disciplines as we are pressured by requests to create more undecided programs, or majors regarding semiconductors that are in need by businesses. It is a university’s responsibility to foster talent needed to help the country's economy grow. But for universities to exist in the long run, continuing to allow students to study in many different fields is also important.

Chonnam National University's Robot Research Initiative in Buk District, Gwangju [CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Q: New fields like AI have been emerging as society changes. How does Chonnam National University adapt to those changes? A: Chonnam National University is the first national university to create an academic department teaching about AI, and we have two missions. One is to focus on the scientific development of AI, as it is a field that will create new values. Another is that AI is a tool that humans use. Chonnam National University has programs in various fields such as humanities, arts, philosophy and natural sciences. So we want to apply those fields to AI.

We also think that Chonnam National University should focus on creating guidelines for AI safety. That also links back to the Glocal University 30 project. Gwangju aims to become an AI-focused city, and we are planning to build an AI testing center and an AI national research institute in the city.

Q: You have been emphasizing that universities should be the entities leading innovation, not the government. A: The crisis of universities lies in the loss of diversity in academic disciplines and universities losing their identity as they become standardized to fit new policies introduced by the government.

There's a lot of talk about increasing undecided majors, which was announced this year. We were then expected to immediately increase undecided major quotas for next year. The intention is to allow students to explore various fields and choose a major they really want to study. But it wasn't talked about thoroughly with universities, and all universities are subject to the same rules [of getting incentives if the undecided quota is increased].

Universities also need to offer undecided majors as there can be students who might find fields they are interested in later on in their lives. But what matters is that such an option is available. If the government forces universities to meet a certain percentage [of undecided majors] and lose funding if they don't, that's not an ideal situation.

Q: Funding projects have become important as universities face a financial crisis. How do you think this problem can be solved? A: Subsidies offered to elementary, middle and high school students, based on the Local Education Subsidy Act, should be expanded to universities. Our economy has grown, but our population is decreasing. There are less than 300,000 babies born every year, while the total university admissions quota is around 400,000. Basically, our future generation is all going to go to university.

Until high school, students study in rooms with good air conditioning and using digital chalkboards. But they come to university and study in classrooms that only have fans and use chalkboards. I'm not saying that the government should offer funding to renovate facilities. It means that the government should offer funding to allow students to focus on studying and for universities to focus on research and development, rather than on financial opportunities.

International students at Chonnam National University pose for a photo during an event to celebrate Korea's Liberation Day last year [CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Q: To solve the population crisis, many regional universities are focusing on attracting international students. What are Chonnam National University’s plans regarding globalization? A: Around 60 percent of the global population lives in Asia, and Korea and Japan's role as countries with both soft and hard power is to offer education to students from Asian countries that have a huge gap between the rich and poor, and those that aren't as democratic.

That's why we opened the Graduate School of Glocal Future Strategy. We plan to offer free education to students from official development assistance (ODA)-receiving countries, then have the students go back to their home countries and help their countries develop.

And also, there are things that we are undeniably good at. Korea's bio industry is among the best in the world, and bio is one of the country's future growth engines. But the bio industry can't develop in just one city. It has to bloom in Siheung, Osong and various different areas based on the unique characteristics of each region. For us, we plan to export bio industry skills to countries like China and Vietnam. That basically means we want to create an educational environment that trains international talent. In that sense, Chonnam National University's global strategy also aims to help international students settle down. A lot of commercial buildings in university neighborhoods are left empty, and we are working with the local government to renovate those buildings and create housing for international students.

The Chonnam National University Hospital in Dong District, Gwangju [CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Q: The university also increased its medical school quota and slots for local talent. A: I would like to say it's important to not get caught up in numbers. I do think there needs to be an increase in the quota for medical schools. Health care, education and entertainment are three important factors that determine whether people will settle down in the region or not. But in Gwangju and South Jeolla, there are only three cities — Mokpo, Suncheon and Gwangju — that have obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) clinics. In a situation where more and more OB-GYN clinics are shutting down, it's essential to provide emergency medical care and establish a stable health care system. Fostering more doctors is just one of the requirements to achieve those goals.

But I do think the quota increase, the timing and how it was done were unreasonable. As a doctor, you have to open your own clinic, buy equipment such as MRIs and hire people to work at the hospital. Would people be willing to go to regions where there's not much population and take on those responsibilities? Increasing the medical school quota is just one puzzle in a bigger picture. The government has to create a stable system and invest money to do so.

Chonnam National University also aims to foster more physician-scientists. Physician-scientists aren't just dermatologists that will treat acne. They are people who will make vaccines for the Covid-19 pandemic, research-heavy ion therapy for cancer, and fuse fields such as engineering, humanities, and philosophy with medicine to better human lives. Unless we have people like that, or have solutions to foster people like that, we'll just get more dermatologists. Increasing local talent slots to more than 70 percent means much more than just giving more opportunities to local students. It means we also want to contribute to the well-being of Korean society.

━ President’s bio

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

Jung is currently the chairman of the National Universities Presidents' Association and vice chairman of the Korean Council for University Education. He is also the head of the Honam Branch of the Korean Orthopaedic Society 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: 19 Schools and departments: 116

Graduate schools 13

Students (2024) Undergraduates: 25,393 Postgraduates: 5,644 Total: 31,037

Academic staff (2024) 2,274

Administrative staff (2024) 543

Employment rate (2023) 59.5 percent

Dormitory acceptance rate (2023) 21.8 percent

International studentsStudents (2023) Undergraduates: 700 Postgraduates: 800 Short-term students (language learning, exchange program, etc.): 500 Total: 2,000

Social media Instagram: @chonnam_oia YouTube: @ChonnamNationalUniversityOIA

English website global.jnu.ac.kr

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