Average Salary of Private University Presidents 160 Million KRW... Chodang University Tops with 350 Million KRW

Chodang University 350 million, Ulsan University 270 million, CHA University 250 million paid
Among junior colleges, Daekyung College, Bucheon College, and Dongnam Health College ranked highest
Chairman compensation highest at Dankook University

Yoon Young-deok, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The average salary of private university presidents is 160 million KRW, with Chodang University paying the highest amount of 350 million KRW.

According to the 'Recent 3-Year Salary Payment Status of University Presidents' received by Yoon Young-deok, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Ministry of Education on the 27th, among 70 four-year universities and 100 junior colleges, the average salary of private university presidents was 159.33 million KRW. Major universities in the Seoul metropolitan area such as Korea University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University, and Sungkyunkwan University did not disclose their data.

The trend over the past three years was similar, with salaries of 157.54 million KRW, 160.31 million KRW, and 159.43 million KRW respectively. This appears to be influenced by factors such as frozen university tuition fees and a decrease in the number of enrolled students due to a declining school-age population.

Among general universities that disclosed salaries, the university paying the highest salary to its president was Chodang University (346 million KRW). Following were Ulsan University (276 million KRW), CHA University (250 million KRW), Honam University (240 million KRW), Myongji University (222.79 million KRW), and Nambu University (201.47 million KRW), all receiving salaries exceeding 200 million KRW.

Among junior colleges, Daekyung College received 312.5 million KRW. Next were Bucheon College (274.74 million KRW), Dongnam Health College (274.74 million KRW), Seojeong University (266.3 million KRW), Busan University of Science and Technology (244.28 million KRW), and Myongji Junior College (222.86 million KRW) in descending order.

Among the chairpersons of school corporations who submitted data, the chairman of Dankook University's corporation received the highest amount at 265.78 million KRW. Honam University (192 million KRW) and Korea University of Technology and Education (179.99 million KRW) followed.

Assemblyman Yoon Young-deok stated, "At a time when the economy is very difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there are global demands for university tuition refunds, university finances are becoming strained. If some university executives receive excessively high salaries, it may not be viewed positively."

He emphasized, "The most important task is to expand the government's responsibility for higher education borne by private schools. Through government support, the burden of tuition fees on students should be reduced, and the transparency of university finances should be increased to raise the level of education expenses per student."