[Meet the President] Chungbuk National University inspires big dreams

K-campus

Published: 20 Jul. 2023, 10:00

[Meet the President] Chungbuk National University inspires big dreams

At Chungbuk National University, students are never told to lower their expectations “because I’d never say so to my daughter,” said Koh Chang-seop, the school’s president. [PARK SANG-MOON]

CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong – When Koh Chang-seop’s daughter reached her senior year of university and began contemplating her career path, one thing the president of Chungbuk National University never told her was to lower her expectations – no matter how unattainable her goals seemed to be.

“How could I?” Koh recently recalled during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “She’s my daughter.”

At school, Koh tries to impart the same message to his students, encouraging them not to compromise their aspirations.

But that message, he said, in instilled into them during their freshmen year.

Chungbuk National University runs something called the Gap-Zero Self-Directed Employment Program, through which the school offers useful resources to students from their first year in university so they can draw their career roadmaps early on and stick to them until graduation, ultimately helping them land their dream jobs.

Through initiatives like these, the school has tried to overcome the declining student population crisis facing many universities across the country today, particularly those located outside Seoul.

The following are edited excerpts from the conversation with Koh.

Q. How would you introduce Chungbuk National University to prospective international students?

A. Located in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, Chungbuk National University is one of the country’s nine flagship national universities. It has stood as a symbol of knowledge ever since its establishment in 1951, even amid the turmoil of the Korean War. The university strives for the cultural enrichment and sustainable development of the local community while realizing its educational goal of national and social progress.

Chungbuk National University’s Gaesin Campus in Cheongju, North Chungcheong [CHUNGBUK NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

What are some strengths of Chungbuk National University?

Chungbuk National University is playing a key role in the future mobility industry. Our research labs in the department of intelligent systems & robotics and the Smart Car Research Center are actively engaged in researching key technologies for autonomous driving. They undertake numerous autonomous driving-related tasks, including commissioned projects from companies, technology transfer and employee training. They have even filed for three patents related to autonomous driving and control equipment and have won multiple awards in various competitions.

Chungbuk National University has also recently been selected by the government to receive support to foster semiconductor talent. We plan to grant admission to 95 students next year in the newly established department of semiconductor engineering, which curriculum will touch upon all aspects of semiconductors, from process technology to system design.

We are also strong in secondary batteries and have been chosen by the government to foster talent for the local secondary battery industry.

Furthermore, we are planning to open a K-Culture College on campus next year, in which international students will be able to take a broad range of classes pertaining to Korean culture in the fields of humanities, social sciences, human ecology and business administration.

The front entrance to Chungbuk National University’s Gaesin Campus

Will all the courses at the K-Culture College be provided in English?

There will be classes in various languages including Korean and English, and maybe Chinese and Vietnamese as well.

What are some benefits offered to international students at Chungbuk National University?

All international students can reside in our dormitory if they wish. Our university also provides a scholarship of 1 million won [$800] to newly enrolled international students who have completed the Korean language education program at our International Language Education Institute. To help international students adapt to their new Korean campus life, we offer a range of support programs. Among them, the most popular one is the faculty-student mentoring program.

Experimenting with holograms at the university’s Startup+ Town, a space equipped with cutting-edge equipment to inspire entrepreneurial spirit. [CHUNGBUK NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

With half of Korea’s international students attending a university in the Seoul metropolitan area, some may hesitate to enroll at a school in smaller cities like Cheongju. Are there any advantages of studying here?

The greatest advantage of Cheongju is that it’s geographically located at the center of the country, providing accessibility to any part of Korea. It has an international airport and a KTX station that serves as stops for both the Gyeongbu Line and Honam Line. People here tend to be more relaxed than in Seoul, and living expenses are a lot cheaper.

Furthermore, Cheongju’s Osong is home to the Osong Bio Valley and the Osong Biomedical District, where over 260 companies, universities, research institutes, hospitals and government agencies are integrated. In line with this, Chungbuk National University is striving to cultivate bio talents as the leading university of the Chungbuk Bio-Health Industry, which serves as the central hub for networks among universities, industry, governmental agencies and innovation centers in the North Chungcheong region.

Testing autonomous driving technology [CHUNGBUK NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Many universities across the country, particularly in rural areas, are struggling with a declining student population. How is Chungbuk National University trying to overcome the crisis?

The current environment surrounding universities demands strong changes in the higher education sector. Issues such as a rapid decline in the student population, prolonged tuition freezes and the concentration of resources in the Seoul metropolitan area not only pose a threat to universities but also jeopardize the existence of local communities. In such circumstances, the role of a university is to encourage students so they can lead the region through balanced development between practical disciplines for innovative growth and basic arts and sciences that will generate future value. As part of such efforts, we have what we call the Gap-Zero Self-Directed Employment Program, through which we help our students achieve their career goals without giving up on their dreams.

What’s that?

When students enter their senior year of university, they are often told to lower their expectations. By the time they go job-searching, they find gaps between their dreams and reality because they haven’t prepared well enough in advance. So the idea was, why not provide useful resources to students from their freshmen year so they can draw their career roadmaps early on and stick to them all the way through graduation without having to make any compromises later on? For instance, if a student says they want to work for a certain company, we would provide them with information about what kind of opportunities are available at the company, what the average salary is, employee benefits and so on. Then we would tell the student that in order to increase their chances of getting hired at their dream company, they would need to have gained relevant experience through so and so internships and achieve a minimum GPA of a particular level.

Testing VR technology at the College of Electrical & Computer Engineering [CHUNGBUK NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

There’s talk about Chungbuk National University merging with the Korea National University of Transportation. Is it really happening? If so, by when?

We have to thoroughly discuss the process with the Korea National University of Transportation. Tentatively, we’re thinking about receiving freshmen as a merged university from the 2026 spring semester. Under this system, the Cheongju Campus would focus on semiconductors, biotechnology, cultural arts and basic arts and sciences. The Chungju Campus would concentrate on advanced future studies such as future mobility, secondary batteries and tourism.

What advice do you have for prospective international students?

I truly look forward to seeing many bright international students embarking on their academic journey at Chungbuk National University. We have many exciting programs prepared for high-achieving students at our university, including opportunities for a two-week overseas experience. We would love to see international students shoot for excellent academic performance in order to participate in these enriching adventures alongside Korean students.

President’s bio

Koh Chang-seop is the 22nd president of Chungbuk National University. His four-year term began in April. He has taught electrical engineering at the university since 1996.

Koh was formerly the dean of the university’s College of Electrical & Computer Engineering and head of the Office of Planning.

He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in electrical engineering from Seoul National University.

About the university

Name
Chungbuk National University

Type
National

Established
Sept. 27, 1951

English slogan
Great Challenge For Our Future!

Location
Gaesin Campus: Seowon District, Cheongju, North Chungcheong
Osong Campus: Heungdeok District, Cheongju

Campus size
978,696.3 square meters (241.84 acres)

Undergraduate colleges and departments
Colleges: 15
Schools and departments: 100

Graduate schools
9

Students (2023)
Undergraduates: 12,981
Postgraduates: 3,573
Total: 16,554

Academic staff (2023)
631

Employment rate (2021)
57.8 percent

English website
chungbuk.ac.kr/site/english/main.do

International students

Number of students (2023)
Undergraduates: 405
Postgraduates: 348
Short-term students (exchange students, language training, etc.): 310
Total: 1,063

By country
China 40.1 percent
Vietnam 19.6 percent
Mongolia 11.9 percent
Other 28.4 percent (46 countries)

Department with the most international students (2023)
Department of international business

Dormitory acceptance rate (2023)
5.45 percent (All international students who wish to reside on campus are guaranteed dormitory accommodation.)

Average tuition of self-funded undergraduate students per semester (2023)
2 million won ($1,600)

Office of International Affairs website
cia.chungbuk.ac.kr

Office of International Services website
iss.chungbuk.ac.kr

Office of International Affairs YouTube
@oiscbnu973

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