Jeju National University Excluded from S-10, Which Provides Up to KRW 290 Billion ... Jeju Province, Council and University: "Evaluation Criteria Must Be Disclosed"

[Financial News | Jeju — Jeong Yong-bok, Reporter] Jeju National University was excluded from the government's "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities (S-10)" package support program, which provides up to KRW 290 billion per university over five years. In response, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council and JNU jointly called on the government to disclose its evaluation criteria and establish follow-up support measures.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council and JNU issued a joint statement at the Jeju Provincial Government press room on the morning of the 23rd. Governor Wi Seong-gon, Council Chairman Song Young-hoon and JNU President Yang Deok-soon attended in person.
The controversy centers on the government's package support program for national flagship universities. One of the key initiatives under the "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" policy, it aims to develop flagship national universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area into centers of regional education, research and industrial innovation.
JNU submitted its project proposal on the 6th of last month but was not included among the universities selected for support, which the Ministry of Education announced on the 1st. The selected universities are Pusan National University, Chonnam National University and Chungnam National University.
The amount of support is substantial. According to the joint statement from Jeju, each selected university will receive up to KRW 290 billion over five years.
This is why Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the provincial council and JNU have framed the outcome as an issue of balanced regional development policy, rather than simply JNU's failure to be selected in the competition.

Governor Wi Seong-gon emphasized that Jeju is an island region outside the Seoul metropolitan area with relatively limited corporate, research-institution and industrial infrastructure. He argued that it would be difficult to narrow regional disparities if universities were merely asked to compete on equal terms when disparities already exist between regions.
In other words, if universities in regions with large concentrations of companies and research institutions are evaluated solely by the same standards as universities in island regions such as Jeju, where markets and industrial foundations are relatively small, existing regional disparities could also affect the results of university support.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province called on the government to clearly disclose the criteria it used to select the three universities. Council Chairman Song Young-hoon argued, "The evaluation must reflect not only population structure, youth outmigration, geographical accessibility and the unique characteristics of the industrial base, but also the region's strategic value and potential for future growth."
The province also urged the government to explain to Jeju residents how Jeju's conditions and growth potential were evaluated during the actual review process.
JNU raised the issue of a follow-up support plan for universities that were not selected. President Yang Deok-soon stated, "If support is concentrated on only some national flagship universities, differences in competitiveness among universities could once again lead to disparities between regions. Universities that were not selected must also be guaranteed opportunities to grow."
The demand is for the government to promptly present when additional support would begin, how large it would be and how it would be provided if the government proceeds with further assistance.

JNU also plays a role in Jeju that differs from those of universities in other regions. As the only national university in Jeju, JNU is responsible for higher education, research and developing local talent. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province believes that strengthening JNU's research and educational capabilities would not only enhance the competitiveness of one university, but would also be directly connected to industrial and talent policies in Jeju.
The issue is also linked to the government's proposed Five Mega-Regions and Three Special Self-Governing Provinces Policy for balanced national growth. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province maintains that its research and talent-development base at its key university must also be strengthened for Jeju to serve as a separate growth axis.
The Ministry of Education officially announced on the 1st that it had selected PNU, CNU and Chungnam National University as the universities to receive support under this year's S-10 package. The ministry has outlined a policy of developing flagship national universities as hubs of regional growth and supporting balanced national growth.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the provincial council and JNU plan to work with local members of the National Assembly, universities and industry to continue urging the government to expand support for JNU.
The key issue going forward is how much Jeju's demand will be reflected in discussions on follow-up support for excluded flagship national universities. Jeju is calling for evaluations to go beyond comparing the existing size of regional industries and to consider which regions the nation should newly develop as growth bases.


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter