Lee wants 10 SNUs. But can this solve Korea's education crisis?

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Lee wants 10 SNUs. But can this solve Korea's education crisis?

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI


The iconic main gate of Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

The iconic main gate of Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

 
Can multiplying Seoul National University (SNU) across the country solve Korea’s long-standing issues of extreme academic competition and overpopulation in the capital region?
 
During his presidential campaign, President Lee Jae-myung pledged to establish 10 SNUs across the country by significantly increasing funding to nine existing "flagship national universities," largely to ease educational pressure and promote balanced national development.
 

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“Support for flagship national universities will be expanded to a level comparable to SNU, allowing for the discovery of regional talent and enabling students to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees within their regions,” Lee said at a campaign rally in Gwangju on May 17.
 
The policy comes amid intense academic pressure faced by Korean students from an early age. Many spend nearly 12 years from elementary school through high school preparing for the college entrance exam, believing that admission to a top university like SNU offers the best chance to overcome socioeconomic barriers or obtain jobs at highly regarded companies.
 
The “10 SNU” policy has since emerged as a key education pledge of the Lee government. By loosening the concentration of prestige and investment from a handful of top institutions, Lee aims to reduce population pressure in the greater Seoul area, including Incheon and Gyeonggi, and encourage young people to stay and thrive in their local communities.
 
The Ministry of Education has reportedly begun reviewing the plan. Central to the plan is increasing financial support for flagship national universities to levels approaching that of SNU — particularly the per-student educational expenditure.
 
Currently, SNU spends about 60 million won ($43,800) per student, according to a calculation of annual school spending per enrollee, while those at other national universities receive just 25 million won or less. Lee’s education advisory team has proposed raising this amount to approximately 70 percent of SNU’s level.
 
The team also suggested standardizing university names — such as “SNU of Busan” or “SNU of Gwangju” — modeled after the University of California system in the United States, where some 10 globally recognized public universities operate under a unified brand across the state.
 
President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a campaign rally in Gwangju on May 17. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a campaign rally in Gwangju on May 17. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]



Can it ease Korea’s academic bottleneck?
 
Kim Jong-young, a sociology professor at Kyung Hee University who first proposed the 10 SNU concept in a 2021 book, argues that the initiative is key to resolving the structural bottleneck in Korea’s higher education system.
 
At the center of this issue, he says, is the overwhelming dominance of the so-called “SKY” schools — Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University — Korea's top universities based in the capital, which concentrate academic prestige and fuel fierce competition.
 
“The cutthroat competition is a result of the bottleneck effect caused by the extreme ranking of universities,” Kim told the Korea JoongAng Daily in a written interview.
 
“Creating ten SNUs isn’t just about diversifying reputation. It’s a national strategy to turn universities into engines of the knowledge economy and hubs that can generate and attract industries.”
 
Kim pointed to the University of California system as a model, noting that the state, with a population similar to Korea’s, has “led industrial revolutions” by creating a university ecosystem.
 
A student walks toward Royce Hall on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles in Los Angeles on March 11, 2020. [AFP/YONHAP]

A student walks toward Royce Hall on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles in Los Angeles on March 11, 2020. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
Dr. Lee Yoon-jeong, a teaching fellow at Britain's University of Leicester and a visiting professor at Dankook University, acknowledged that branding more universities as “SNU-level” might raise concerns about escalating competition. Still, she emphasized the significance of adopting the “timely” policy.
 
“If each university focuses on a specialized area, such as research on regional studies, technology or culture, and applies diverse performance indicators, this could enhance both the quality and diversity of higher education,” she said.
 
Lee also drew comparisons to the British public university system.
 
“With about 135 publicly funded universities, the United Kingdom has maintained high educational standards while driving regional economic, social and cultural growth,” she said, citing examples like the Oxford Science Park and the Cambridge Cluster.
 
A student sits for a mock exam for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test at Jongro Academy in Seoul’s Yangcheon District on June 4. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A student sits for a mock exam for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test at Jongro Academy in Seoul’s Yangcheon District on June 4. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
But not everyone is convinced.
 
The Korean Professors Union has warned that the policy may “kill off 100 regional universities” by widening the gap between flagship schools and other smaller private institutions. Park Jung-won, an honorary professor at Sangji University, called it an “antiregional policy” that ultimately benefits middle- and upper-class families who already have more access to academic resources, bringing the socioeconomic educational divide to regional schools.
 
According to Statistics Korea, students with higher academic performance in high school tended to spend more on private education.
 
In 2023, those in the top 10 percent of their class spent an average of 665,000 won per month on private education, compared to 370,000 won for students in the bottom 20 percent.
 
Solution to Seoul's overpopulation?
 
Some experts believe the 10 SNU policy could provide a starting point for decentralization, but not a complete solution.
 
“It’s a meaningful foundation for fostering local talent and building regional capacity,” said Prof. Kim Dong-hyun of Pusan National University’s Department of Urban Planning and Engineering.
 
“But Korea doesn’t just need ten SNUs — it needs multiple cities like Seoul.”
 
He added that the capital will continue to attract students unless the government diversifies opportunities regionally.
 
Democratic Party Rep. Kim Young-bae, center, proposes the creation of 10 Seoul National Universities along with current and former university presidents and education superintendents during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 20. [YONHAP]

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Young-bae, center, proposes the creation of 10 Seoul National Universities along with current and former university presidents and education superintendents during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 20. [YONHAP]

 
Over the past decade, roughly 670,000 young people — mostly students and job seekers — moved to the greater Seoul area. In 2023 alone, about 8,500 left Busan and 7,800 left Daegu, according to Statistics Korea.
 
“Even low-income families are willing to endure the high cost of living in Seoul for better jobs. Without fundamental reform of the industrial and employment structure, true decentralization won’t happen,” Kim said.
 
A December report from the Korea Employment Information Service showed that 12 of the top 20 areas with the highest employment growth over the past decade were located in the greater capital region.
 
The report also revealed that youth employment fell drastically in industrial cities like Geoje, South Gyeongsang, where shipbuilding has declined — dropping from 51.5 percent in 2013 to just 37.5 percent in 2023.
 
Ambitious or just expensive?
 
Building more universities to rival SNU, however, would come with a hefty price tag.
 
Prof. Kim Jong-young estimates the cost of the 10 SNU project to be between 3 trillion and 4 trillion won, based on a government funding gap of roughly 360 billion won between Seoul National University and the other flagship national universities, according to 2020 data.
 
With Korea’s higher education budget already limited at 15.6 trillion won this year, expanding support for flagship national universities could potentially divert resources from other institutions.
 
A passerby walks past a banner recruiting retakers for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test in central Seoul on Jan. 6. [NEWS1]

A passerby walks past a banner recruiting retakers for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test in central Seoul on Jan. 6. [NEWS1]

 
Existing programs — such as the Glocal University 30 initiative and the Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE) project, both introduced under the preceding Yoon Suk Yeol administration — may need to be restructured.
 
The Glocal initiative offers up to 100 billion won over five years to help regional universities become more competitive. In late May, 18 schools, including several flagship national universities, were shortlisted for expanded support. Through the RISE program, local governments are given discretion over some of the Education Ministry’s budget to support regional innovation, with 2 trillion won allocated for 2025.
 
Despite the budgetary concerns, Kim argues that the policies can coexist, as they serve different purposes: While the 10 SNU plan aims to "elevate flagship national universities to SNU’s level," Glocal and RISE focus on "revitalizing" regional universities.
 
Officials attend a forum on the Glocal University project, hosted by the Education Ministry at the government complex in Sejong on March 18. [YONHAP]

Officials attend a forum on the Glocal University project, hosted by the Education Ministry at the government complex in Sejong on March 18. [YONHAP]

 
The Korean University Workers’ Union, however, has warned that focusing solely on flagship schools could marginalize private universities in the regions.
 
“We understand the intention to ease regional disparities,” they said, “but if funding remains limited, raising flagship schools to SNU’s level would inevitably divert resources away from private universities.”
 
The union called on the government to first establish a long-term funding strategy for higher education, noting that Korea’s investment in this sector still falls short of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average.
 
According to the Education Ministry, Korea’s public spending per higher education student was $13,573 in 2021, well below the OECD average of $20,499.
 
Prof. Kim of Kyung Hee University emphasized that support should also be extended to private regional universities and vocational schools, proposing a broader policy package. Under this plan, the creation of 10 research-oriented SNUs would be accompanied by strengthened backing for private universities and vocational institutions, each focused on education and job training.
 
“There’s already a broad consensus forming around the policy,” he said, noting that the policy has been chosen as a key national agenda under the current government.
 
“President Lee Jae-myung’s plan to establish 10 SNUs will likely become a hallmark of his administration — much like Sejong City under late President Roh Moo-hyun or the Four Rivers Restoration Project under former President Lee Myung-bak.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
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