DP's Lee, PPP's Kim both want to diffuse SNU's prestige, but with different approaches

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DP's Lee, PPP's Kim both want to diffuse SNU's prestige, but with different approaches

Published: 17 May. 2025, 06:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, left, and People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, right, each speak during campaign rallies on May 12. [YONHAP]

Finally, something they agree on... or not? In campaigning for the upcoming presidential election, both the People Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Party (DP) have introduced policies aimed at breaking down the university hierarchy centered around Seoul National University (SNU).

“We will promote the creation of ‘10 SNUs’ by intensively fostering regional flagship national universities to mitigate the university hierarchy,” said Lee Jae-myung, the DP candidate.

“We will revitalize the joint degree system between SNU and regional flagship universities,” Kim Moon-soo, the PPP candidate, proposed.

The education sector views the two parties’ proposals as essentially similar. Both aim to distribute the prestige currently concentrated in SNU to the nine regional flagship national universities, thereby alleviating the clustering of test-takers around SNU and increasing the population willing to settle in regional areas.

However, the difference is that Lee places emphasis on drastically increasing investment in the nine flagship universities to match SNU’s level, while Kim focuses on expanding the “SNU diploma” to these nine institutions.

Lee’s proposal is closer to the “minimum model,” while Kim’s aligns with the “maximum model” of the ten-SNU plan, according to former Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon.

The main gate to Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul is seen on May 21, 2024. [NEWS1]

The minimum model centers on supporting and developing regional flagship universities, with minimal integration among the universities. The maximum model envisions a powerful alliance where all national universities are integrated, similar to France’s Paris I–VIII universities, implementing joint admissions and degree systems.

Policies involving SNU and college admissions are not new. The idea of “university equalization” has been discussed in academia since the 2000s. In politics, former presidential candidate Chung Dong-young proposed a joint degree system among national and public universities in 2007, marking it as a task of the progressive education community.

What’s notable this election is that even the PPP has adopted a similar proposal, and sitting university presidents like Koh Chang-seop of Chungbuk National University, chair of the Council of Presidents of Flagship National Universities, and Yang O-bong of Jeonbuk National University, chair of the Korean Council for University Education, have expressed support — raising expectations of its feasibility.

However, experts question the practicality due to the lack of clear funding plans and potential backlash from stakeholders like SNU. Neither party has disclosed cost estimates for their proposals.

When the DP proposed the ten-SNU plan during last year’s general election, they estimated annual funding of 300 billion won ($215 million) per university, totaling 2.7 trillion won for the nine flagship universities.

Ministry of Education officials walk into the administrative building of Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul on Oct. 2, 2024. [YONHAP]

“There’s a lot of negative sentiment toward supporting regional universities, so the funding will likely come from diverting local education grants for elementary and middle schools,” said a former Ministry of Education official, requesting anonymity. “This could trigger significant backlash from the primary and secondary education sectors.”

There’s also concern that concentrated investment in flagship universities may provoke resistance from nearby private universities.

“As flagship universities develop, neighboring private universities may feel increasingly threatened,” said a former national university president. “We need to find ways for this support to produce trickle-down effects that benefit other local institutions.”

As for the joint degree system, pushback from SNU alumni and students is expected.

A passerby walks past the main gate of Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul on May 21, 2024. [NEWS1]

Some in the education sector recommend limiting SNU degrees to certain majors rather than all fields to ease opposition.

However, even a plan to introduce a joint aerospace degree between Gyeongsang National University and SNU was scrapped last year due to student opposition at SNU.

Following the policy announcements, posts on the Seoul school's community forum SNULife criticized the proposals as “a policy to drag down SNU.”

“Awarding an SNU degree would essentially mean turning the other nine universities into SNU campuses,” said Yang Jung-ho, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University. “But if you look at universities already operating satellite campuses, they show no real integration due to differences in admissions and education. A policy intended to eliminate hierarchy might end up reinforcing it.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]