{"slug": "three-regional-universities-picked-to-receive-up-to-w100b-to-close-gap-with", "title": "Three regional universities picked to receive up to W100b to close gap with Seoul National University", "summary": "South Korea's Education Ministry selected Chonnam National University, Chungnam National University, and Pusan National University on Tuesday to receive up to 100 billion won ($72 million) each over five years to boost regional education and research, with a focus on linking regional growth industries with artificial intelligence. The funding, part of President Lee Jae Myung's scaled-back '10 Seoul National Universities' initiative, includes about 70 billion won this year plus 30 billion won in general-purpose funding per university annually through 2030.", "body_md": "Pusan, Chonnam and Chungnam national universities to receive concentrated funding tied to regional growth industries, AI\n\nThree flagship regional national universities — Chonnam National University, Chungnam National University and Pusan National University — were selected by the Education Ministry on Tuesday for concentrated government funding of up to 100 billion won ($72 million) each.\n\nThe funding will be provided over the next five years under a scaled-back version of President Lee Jae Myung's signature \"10 Seoul National Universities\" initiative.\n\nThe three universities will receive comprehensive financial support for education and research in industries designated as regional growth engines under the government's \"5 Poles, 3 Special Zones\" development strategy.\n\nThe initiative stems from one of Lee's biggest education pledges during the 2025 presidential election campaign.\n\nLee had originally pledged to substantially increase investment in all nine flagship regional national universities, seeking to bring their research and educational capabilities closer to those of Seoul National University and draw students, researchers and industries away from the greater Seoul area.\n\nThe Education Ministry, however, announced in April that it would modify the original approach and initially concentrate additional resources on three universities following consultations across government agencies.\n\nOfficials said concentrating limited resources would allow the government to produce visible results more quickly.\n\nUnder the new model, government support will link each region's strategic industries with artificial intelligence, spanning universities' undergraduate and graduate programs as well as research institutes.\n\nThe broader policy forms part of the administration's push to establish economic hubs outside the capital region under its \"5 Poles, 3 Special Zones\" strategy.\n\nEach of the three universities will receive around 70 billion won this year under the government's support package.\n\nOn top of that, each university will receive 30 billion won in general-purpose government funding compared with last year, bringing annual support to around 100 billion won per institution through 2030.\n\nWhy the three were chosen\n\nThe Education Ministry said the universities were selected following deliberations by a council comprising representatives from nine government agencies and civilian experts.\n\nThe council assessed applicants based on four main criteria: alignment with the government's national spatial development strategy, regional conditions and preparedness, the universities' own capabilities and readiness, and plans for broader reforms to education, research and institutional operations.\n\nPusan National University was selected for its plan to establish a new college covering key growth industries in southeastern Korea, including shipbuilding and marine engineering, mechanical systems and aerospace.\n\nThe university also plans to establish new industry-sponsored departments with companies including LG Electronics and three Hanwha affiliates, with the goal of developing a college ranked among the world's top 100 in its field.\n\nPusan additionally proposed establishing what it described as Korea's largest college dedicated to artificial intelligence and transforming its Yangsan campus into a research hub for industrial AI transformation.\n\nInfrastructure developed under the initiative would also be shared with universities across the southeastern region, and participating institutions would jointly operate an interdisciplinary program focused on Busan's development as a maritime hub.\n\nChonnam National University, meanwhile, plans to establish a new college focused on advanced semiconductors and future energy while expanding courses involving corporate participation.\n\nIt also proposed expanding a joint semiconductor packaging research institute model currently operated with Amkor Technology to partnerships involving companies and institutions including Samsung and Korea Electric Power Corp.\n\nThe university plans to carry out medium- and large-scale AI transformation projects spanning the full development cycle to train specialists in the field.\n\nChonnam also aims to expand its shared-university model beyond remote credit exchanges to include team projects and hands-on joint education using shared fabrication facilities and clean rooms.\n\nThe government said Chonnam's proposal showed particularly strong alignment with its regional development strategy following the recent merger of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province.\n\nChungnam National University's plan centers on establishing the Nexus College of Science and Technology and creating a joint education and research system with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.\n\nThe university aims to serve as a regional hub supplying industrial and research personnel for four major growth-engine industries in central Korea.\n\nUnder the proposal, Chungnam National University, KAIST and major anchor companies would jointly design and operate curricula, with programs linked directly to employment at participating companies.\n\nIts planned Nexus Convergence Research Institute would focus on solving industrial research challenges, while the university also proposed establishing a joint AI research institute with Naver Cloud.\n\nFunding tied to performance\n\nWith substantial public funding going to the three institutions, the ministry said it would establish a separate performance management committee to monitor implementation.\n\nThe ministry said the evaluations would be used to differentiate funding levels, allowing support to be adjusted according to each university's progress.\n\nThe decision to concentrate support on three universities marks a departure from the original conception of the \"10 Seoul National Universities\" initiative.\n\nWhen the revised policy was announced in April, the government said it intended eventually to expand the concentrated support to the other six flagship regional national universities.\n\nNext year's budget, however, does not include additional spending to raise funding for the remaining universities to the same level.\n\nAsked Tuesday when the program would be expanded, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said there was a consensus within the selection council that eligibility for the support package should eventually be broadened.\n\nHe stopped short of providing a timeline, saying the timing \"depends on how closely the universities designated today carry out their plans.\"\n\nThe ministry nevertheless stressed that government funding for flagship regional national universities as a whole has nearly doubled.\n\nseungku99@heraldcorp.com", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/three-regional-universities-picked-to-receive-up-to-w100b-to-close-gap-with", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10859303", "published_at": "2026-09-01 09:51:13+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-01 10:22:53.323248+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Education Ministry", "Chonnam National University", "Chungnam National University", "Pusan National University", "Lee Jae Myung", "LG Electronics", "Hanwha", "Amkor Technology"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/three-regional-universities-picked-to-receive-up-to-w100b-to-close-gap-with", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/three-regional-universities-picked-to-receive-up-to-w100b-to-close-gap-with.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/three-regional-universities-picked-to-receive-up-to-w100b-to-close-gap-with.txt", "jsonld": 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