Hong Won-hwa, President of Kyungpook National University, Inaugurated as the 26th Chairman of the Korean Council for University Education

Inauguration Ceremony Held on the 7th... Term Until April Next Year
"Must Strive to Overcome University Finances and Regulations"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Hong Wonhwa, president of Kyungpook National University, will be inaugurated as the 26th president of the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE) on the 7th.

KCUE announced that the inauguration ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on the 7th in the KCUE main conference room in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. President Hong's term will be one year starting from April 8.

The new vice presidents will be Jeong Jintaek, president of Korea University; Lee Hoyoung, president of Changwon National University; and Kim Seungwoo, president of Soonchunhyang University.

President Hong graduated from the Department of Architectural Engineering at Kyungpook National University and earned his master's and doctoral degrees in engineering from Waseda University in Japan.

While working as a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Energy Engineering at Kyungpook National University, he served as director of external cooperation, director of industry-academic research, dean of the College of Engineering, and concurrently as dean of the Graduate School of Industry. He has been serving as president of Kyungpook National University since 2020.

In his inaugural speech, President Hong stated, "The university community is facing realities more significant than the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, climate change and carbon neutrality, low birthrate and aging population, and the rapid decline in the school-age population." He added, "KCUE must strive to overcome crises triggered by insufficient university finances, uncertain education policies, and regulations that hinder innovation."

He also said, "The crisis in universities has been mentioned for the past 20 years but remains unresolved. To address this, we will focus on securing stable financial support to enhance higher education competitiveness, guaranteeing university autonomy, reforming systems to induce university innovation, and proposing policies for universities to serve as a hub for balanced regional development."

Furthermore, he emphasized, "Going forward, KCUE will communicate with the government, local communities, and the public to discuss higher education comprehensively. With a long-term vision and universities uniting based on autonomy for the future of our country, it is possible."