[Meet the President] Hongik's president wants students to feel included

K-campus

Published: 01 May. 2022, 17:04 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 14:45

[Meet the President] Hongik's president wants students to feel included

Seo Jong-wook, president of Hongik University, points to the school's iconic entrance in Mapo District, western Seoul, last month following an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on globalization. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Globalization has been a core pursuit for many Korean universities in recent years as they seek to attract the brightest minds from all corners of the world. The presence of foreign students across college campuses comes at a crucial time for the country, as the dipping fertility rate is swiftly changing demographics and taking a toll on school systems. Last year, Korea hosted more than 150,000 international students despite the raging Covid-19 pandemic, mostly those from Asian countries with a passion for Korean culture and language who arrived for better career prospects. In the “Meet the President” series, the Korea JoongAng Daily asks the presidents of prominent Korean universities to introduce their schools and explain their globalization strategies. -Ed.

For most Korean universities eager to attract international students, it’s all about bridging gaps — smashing down language barriers and building connections between students of different cultural backgrounds, basically allowing the newcomers to feel at home.

But Seo Jong-wook, president of Hongik University, wonders: Is feeling at home a good thing?

“It’s a never-ending question,” Seo said last month in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “We try to do what’s best for everyone, but at the same time, I think it’s important that students and professors acknowledge whatever barrier they have between them when they’re learning in a classroom or conducting research in a lab.”

It's through that process, Seo continued, that “they learn how to simplify their thoughts, which comes in really handy wherever they go and whatever they do after graduating.”

Hongik Art Hall on Hongik University's Sejong Campus, where various art exhibitions are organized [HONGIK UNIVERSITY]

Seo believes his philosophy is working at Hongik, arguably the most popular university in Korea to study art, because most international students are enrolled in departments related to design and cultural management, where a large part of the curriculums focus on practice, not theory.

“We’re different from other Korean universities in that most of our international students aren’t studying humanities or social sciences,” said Seo.

During the interview, held on Hongik University’s Seoul Campus in Mapo District, western Seoul, Seo discussed his thoughts on globalization and the obstacles his school has been facing throughout the journey.

The following are edited excerpts of the conversation.

What is Hongik University’s globalization strategy?

We’ve been seeing more international students on campus year after year. As of April 1, we had 1,990 students from 44 different countries here at Hongik studying for a degree. When we include others who are here as exchange students or to learn Korean through our language learning program, we’re talking nearly 2,600 foreigners on our campus. A key pillar of our globalization strategy is that we try not to force ourselves to attract as many international students as possible, which is why most of our foreign students naturally apply for the programs we’re best known for — design and cultural management. In the long run, we think having international students clustered in a few of our specialized fields could serve as the backbone for our globalization strategy and as a source of momentum as we seek to go global in other fields.

Why are most international students at Hongik studying design or cultural management?

I think that reflects our reputation and how students see our school. It’s needless to say that Hongik University is known for art and design. With cultural management, I think foreign students who want to study business management — but who are also interested in art and culture — choose our school because they know we have the best art programs and because they want to gain competitiveness by setting themselves apart from business majors.

An art exhibition led by a Hongik University Ph.D. candidate is shown at the Hongik Museum of Art on the university's Seoul Campus. [HONGIK MUSEUM OF ART]

What sets Hongik apart from other Korean universities concerning support for international students?

Another key pillar of our globalization strategy is “inclusive acceptance,” which means embracing international students as part of the school without discrimination. Unlike most other Korean universities, all of our foreign students are eligible to receive academic scholarships just as Korean students are, which means that if an international student receives a higher score than a Korean student, the scholarship goes to them. There are also various other types of scholarships specially set aside for international students. About one in five undergraduate international students who gained admission to Hongik University in 2021 received a scholarship. At our graduate schools, international students can also participate in research projects and receive full scholarships through our global scholarship program.

An aerial view of the Daehak-ro Campus in Jongno District, central Seoul, located in the heart of Korea's mecca for theater and home to numerous Hongik University graduate schools and research centers for design and performing arts [HONGIK UNIVERSITY]

What are some other benefits provided to international students at Hongik University?

Other than the scholarships, we offer one-on-one mentoring programs with domestic students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, allowing international students to ask any questions regarding school life and language barriers. At our graduate schools, there’s also a program in which we link a Korean or international student with another international student to help with their school courses. A professor is designated in each department to offer counseling sessions, as well.

A studio on the Daehak-ro Campus where various shows are held every month [HONGIK UNIVERSITY]

What’s Hongik University’s goal for globalization and what will the school campus look like once it achieves that goal?

My ideal image of a globalized campus is one where students feel absolutely no barriers in their studies other than the language difference, and where they can ultimately live out their dreams. Of course, it’s not easy to overcome the language barrier, but that, too, is a crucial part of learning. My point is that, at the university level, language plays a small role in one’s process of obtaining knowledge and information, which is why international students don’t have to feel overly intimidated or depressed about any inconveniences caused by not knowing enough Korean. If all international students go through campus life without experiencing any difficulties in Korean, that would simply mean they’ve become more globalized, not our school. I think it’s really important for all members of our school, including the faculty, to have a globalized mindset.

What remains to be done to achieve that goal?

We need more full-time foreign professors across various fields. Globalization can’t be achieved merely by having more international students. We need foreign professors to diversify our classes and research. However, there are many institutional obstacles that hinder our hiring process. I think Koreans in general are used to living in a world with only Koreans. In a sense, Koreans’ understanding of the need for globalization is limited to economic effects. But we need to wake up and realize that at our current economic level, Korea can’t gain the momentum for innovation and growth if we bypass globalization.

The “Eternal Smile," a structure on the Seoul Campus that symbolizes infinite development and eternal advance [HONGIK UNIVERSITY]

What do you mean by economic effects? Generating revenue through tuition?

Yes. Hongik University doesn’t attract international students for the sake of money. For us, it’s more about true globalization, and offering our domestic students and teaching staff the priceless opportunity to meet students with different cultures and languages.

A group of dancers performs outside Hongik University in the bustling neighborhood of Hongdae (the very name of which is short for Hongik University in Korean), a widely popular area among Korea's youth that is best known for its unique cafes and clubs, gourmet eateries and live performances. [YONHAP]

What’s your educational philosophy?

The most important responsibility of a university is to nurture innovative talent, and I think that comes from providing the opportunity to learn about principles. Meeting others with different cultural backgrounds allows us to address our stereotypes and go back to the basics — the principles — to solve whatever problems we face. For Korean students, learning within a group of only Korean students merely enables them to focus on competition and repetition. But studying within a group of students with different cultures and languages provides a chance for Korean students to enrich their communication skills. It also teaches them that the process of sincere communication comes from the will to understand others and rely on shared principles.

President’s bio

Seo Jong-wook is the 20th president of Hongik University and a professor of electronic and electrical engineering. His three-year term as head of the school began in September 2021. On campus, Seo served as the vice president for academic affairs from March 2017 to August 2021; dean of academic affairs from September 2013 to March 2017; and director of admissions from April 2008 to August 2011. He earned his bachelor’s in electronic engineering at Seoul National University, master’s in electronic and electrical engineering at KAIST and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

About the university

Name of university
Hongik University

Type
Private

Established
June 27, 1946

English slogan
Where Industry Meets Art

Location
Seoul Campus: Mapo District, western Seoul
Sejong Campus: Sejong
Daehak-ro Campus: Jongno District, central Seoul

Campus size
1,864,526 square meters (460.73 acres)

Undergraduate colleges and departments
Colleges: 10
Schools and departments: 45

Graduate schools
14

Students (2021)
Undergraduates: 17,039
Postgraduates: 3,612
Total: 20,651

Academic staff (2021)
1,394

Administrative staff (2021)
231

Employment rate (2021)
63.5 percent

English website
en.hongik.ac.kr/index.do

Social media
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hongik1946
Instagram: @hongik_university
YouTube: youtube.com/c/홍익대학교_HongikUniversity

International students

Number of students (2022)
Undergraduates: 1,331
Postgraduates: 659
Total: 1,990

By country or territory (2022)
China 90.3 percent
Hong Kong 1.4 percent
Taiwan 1.3 percent
Other 7 percent (41 countries or territories)

Department with the most international students (2022)
Undergraduate: Textile art and fashion design
Postgraduate: Arts and cultural management

Average tuition of self-funded students per semester (2022)
Undergraduate: 4.97 million won ($3,900) per semester
Postgraduate: 6.2 million won per semester

Dormitory acceptance rate (2022)
Seoul Campus: 8.33 percent
Sejong Campus: 2.08 percent

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