Nobel Prizes no longer 'distant dream' as Korea's 'exceptional' universities compete on int'l stage
Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 16:13
Updated: 26 Nov. 2025, 09:25
![Professor Jeong Jae-ho of Yonsei University poses for a photo at the university's Quantum Computing Center in Songdo, Incheon, on Nov. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/26/81eb394f-e62a-4334-984c-48676cc26a85.jpg)
Professor Jeong Jae-ho of Yonsei University poses for a photo at the university's Quantum Computing Center in Songdo, Incheon, on Nov. 18. [KIM JONG-HO]
“Nobel Prizes in science are no longer a distant dream. We now have the foundation to compete and collaborate with top-tier researchers on the global stage,” said Jeong Jae-ho, director of the Quantum Science Program at Yonsei University, during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Nov. 18 at the Quantum Computing Center at Yonsei University’s International Campus in Yeonsu District, Incheon.
Quantum computers, which process two values — 0 and 1 — simultaneously, are about 30 trillion times faster than conventional supercomputers, earning them the name of “dream computers.”
In November last year, Yonsei became the second university in the world, following the University of Tokyo, to install a quantum computer.
“Recent Nobel Prize winners are all scientists who participated in large-scale global research,” Jeong said. “Using our ultra-high-performance quantum computer, we plan to collaborate with institutions such as Japan’s national scientific research institute Riken and IBM Research in the United States, which have produced Nobel laureates.”
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JoongAng Ilbo launched The JoongAng University Rankings by Subject for the first time on Tuesday, with universities that received top evaluations in engineering fields distinguishing themselves through high-quality research and active international collaboration.
Yonsei University, which ranked “exceptional” in the electronics and computer engineering category, published 187 papers within the top two percent in citations. Its per-faculty research performance ranked second among the evaluated institutions.
“We plan to make focused investments so that we can produce influential research outcomes in areas such as AI and semiconductors,” Hong Jong-ill, director of research at Yonsei, said.
KAIST, which was also rated “exceptional” in the electronics and computer engineering field alongside Yonsei in the rankings, registered 620 international patents over the past three years.
Professor Kim Moon-cheol of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering registered 114 international patents and 132 domestic patents in AI-based video analysis technology. Over the past decade, the technology has generated roughly 21 billion won ($14.27 million) in royalty revenue.
“In engineering, it’s not just about papers; securing intellectual property and creating value through technology transfer are essential,” Kim said. “Everything begins with patents for foundational technologies.”
![Professor Kim Moon-cheol of KAIST's department of electrical and electronic engineering [KAIST]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/26/619eb351-c759-4aa4-a9a8-449757f99105.jpg)
Professor Kim Moon-cheol of KAIST's department of electrical and electronic engineering [KAIST]
Kyung Hee University published numerous high-quality international papers with patent citations. According to the academic information analysis firm Clarivate, papers from Kyung Hee’s electronics and computer engineering fields were cited 133 times in technology patents between 2020 and 2023, which is the third highest in patent citations per paper.
A paper about next-generation wireless communication published in 2020 by Prof. Hong Choong-seon of the Computer Engineering Department, for instance, was cited in patented technologies invented by global companies such as Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics and Huawei.
“Patent citations of academic papers are extremely rare compared to regular citations, and this indicates research with significant industrial as well as academic value,” a spokesperson for Clarivate said.
In materials and chemical engineering, startup activity and technology transfer outcomes were notable. Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech), which was rated “exceptional,” has an active startup culture, with one out of every three graduate students selected for startup support programs by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The hydrogen technology startup Faraday Energy, launched with 20 million won in seed funding, is gaining recognition for growth potential and is in discussions over investment and cooperation with angel investors, such as NH Venture Investment and ZER01NE Ventures.
![A small hydrogen refueler being developed by Faraday Energy, a hydrogen technology startup founded by Postech graduate students. [POSTECH]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/26/0b22f1a4-81c8-499f-b9d2-f65f6a538b8f.jpg)
A small hydrogen refueler being developed by Faraday Energy, a hydrogen technology startup founded by Postech graduate students. [POSTECH]
Among the universities rated “excellent,” Ajou University’s team, led by Prof. Seo Hyung-tak of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, developed an intelligent advanced material — a neuromorphic optical sensor — which enables machines to perceive and classify visual information like humans.
Compared with conventional sensors, it achieved a higher image classification accuracy of 93 percent, 200 times faster processing and 1,000 times lower power consumption. The findings were published in a science citation index journal in September.
“It’s the first time that sensing motion and storing memory functions have been integrated into a single chip,” Prof. Seo said, adding that this significantly reduces limitations caused by delayed signal processing in existing systems, improving industrial applicability.
In mechanical and mobility engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University, KAIST and Postech were rated “exceptional.” In construction and systems engineering, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University and Postech earned “exceptional” ratings.
Four universities — Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University and Postech — achieved “exceptional” ratings across all four engineering categories. Korea University and KAIST were rated “exceptional” in two fields and “excellent” in two, while Kyung Hee University received one top rating and three “excellent” ratings. The Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology was rated “excellent” in all four categories.
Evaluation criteria
The JoongAng University Rankings by Subject was introduced this year, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the JoongAng Ilbo and the 33rd year since the The JoongAng University Rankings began being published.
The JoongAng University Rankings 2025, which assesses universities across education, research, academic environment and reputation, will be announced on Wednesday.
Subject rankings were introduced because it became difficult to reflect a university’s actual competitiveness when research and education became more and more specialized. Universities specializing in specific fields, industrial shifts and each academic discipline having different performance indicators also brought the need to have a ranking that shows which university is strong in which field.
The subject rankings evaluate universities across nine fields: humanities; social sciences; business and economics; electronics and computer engineering; materials and chemical engineering; mechanical and mobility engineering; construction and systems engineering; mathematics and physics; and life sciences and chemistry. The categories are based on the Korean Educational Development Institute’s classifications, while also reflecting how universities organize their departments and colleges.
The academic fields, ranking indicators and weightings were reviewed by an expert advisory committee of academics, researchers and industry specialists nominated by the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea.
Unlike The JoongAng University Rankings, the subject rankings focus on the actual education and research performance of each academic field. Both the main and subject rankings use common indicators, such as research funding, paper citations and graduate employment rate, while also using other indicators tailored for each field.
For the electronics and computer engineering field, the paper-to-patent citation indicator looks at industrial impact, and the ratio of graduate students establishing technology startups is used for the mechanical and chemical engineering field. The mechanical and mobility engineering field looks at patent and standard essential patent outcomes. The humanities and social sciences are looks at the impact of domestic papers and the ratio of full-time faculty members.
Data from public data sources, such as the Korean Council for University Education's Higher Education in Korea service, Ministry of Science and ICT, Korean Standards Association and academic databases, such as Naver Scholytics and Clarivate were used.
The results were provided to all 67 evaluated universities.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE HOO-YEON, HEO JEONG-WON AND OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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