[Enemies of Reform⑪] "Do You Think Cherry Blossoms Won't Fall in Seoul?"

"They say cherry blossoms fall from the south, but do you think they won't fall in Seoul? Seoul will lose them too."

This is what Hong Won-hwa, president of Kyungpook National University and chairman of the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE), a nationwide organization of four-year universities, said while emphasizing the reality of universities. The crisis that started with regional universities is also a warning that it could engulf the entire Korean higher education system. Due to the steep decline in the school-age population, increasingly severe difficulties in recruiting freshmen, and restructuring focused on quota reductions, the reality faced by universities is precarious. 'Enemies of Reform'

Since the mid-2000s, the government has been implementing restructuring policies in preparation for the decline in the school-age population caused by low birth rates. The university admission quota decreased from 650,000 in 2003 to 470,000 in 2021. The decline in the school-age population is larger and progressing faster than expected. According to the Higher Education Research Institute, the school-age population is projected to decrease from 510,000 in 2020 to 430,000 in 2024, and further down to 280,000 by 2040. It is analyzed that the university admission quota will decrease by about 71,000 from 2020 to 2024.

If the quota of 472,496 (as of 2021) is maintained, the scale of unfilled spots is expected to double from last year's 40,000 to 80,000. Due to the 40,000 shortfall last year, many presidents of regional private universities resigned taking responsibility for the unfilled quotas. This implies that such scenes could be repeated in many places over the next few years. Last year, the freshman enrollment rate was 94.9%. For regional universities, it was 92.3%, which is even more severe. Park Maeng-su, president of Wonkwang University, lamented, "Even students who previously could not aspire to the metropolitan area are flocking there. Regional areas and regional universities are on the brink of extinction."

◆20 Years of University Restructuring Failure History

For over 20 years, the government has pursued restructuring policies, but the focus has been on responding to the decline in the school-age population. Rather than reforming the higher education system, the policies centered on quota reductions and the expulsion of failing universities, leaving little consideration for the future of universities.

Past governments linked restructuring policies to financial support projects, providing funding only to universities that achieved reductions, forcing universities to obsess over 'evaluations.' The Roh Moo-hyun administration reduced university quotas by about 71,000, the Lee Myung-bak administration by about 36,000, and the Park Geun-hye administration by about 60,600. The Moon Jae-in administration promoted voluntary reductions instead of forced cuts, but despite policies recommending quota reductions for lower-tier universities through the '2nd cycle University Basic Competency Diagnosis,' the reduction scale was only about 12,000.

Since last year, the Ministry of Education has divided the country into five regions and required universities to submit quota reduction targets. Universities submit the 'maintenance enrollment rate,' which is the freshman and enrolled student retention rate they must maintain to receive financial support, and from 2023, the ministry recommends appropriate scaling. Although it takes the form of autonomy, the overall framework remains a quota reduction-centered restructuring policy. Universities struggling financially must wield the knife of quota reduction to obtain university innovation project funds. Recently, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has been pushing for department consolidation at its Yongin campus, and Kyungnam University decided to merge the Political Science and Police Science departments, which is not unrelated to this.

◆‘Gyopia’ Ministry of Education’s Inertia

The Ministry of Education treats universities strictly from the perspective of a 'regulatory authority.' Not only has it been negligent in reforming university regulations, but it also neglects universities urgently needing closure. There have been cases where 'Gyopia' (a portmanteau of 'education ministry' and 'mafia') who reemployed in private universities after retirement from the ministry occupied key positions to block audits. Audits of private universities are conducted only when necessary, failing to function properly as a monitoring tool. The National Professors' Union criticized the Ministry of Education at the end of 2020 for ignoring audit requests regarding private school issues at Gimpo University, Kyungsung University, Gyeongju University, Sangji University, Joongbu University, Doowon Technical University, and Cheongam University.

The Ministry of Education identifies failing universities through the 'financial support restriction university' system, imposing disadvantages such as restrictions on national scholarships and student loans, but cases leading to the expulsion of corrupt universities are rare. A university in North Gyeongsang Province has been restricted from participating in financial support projects for eight consecutive years since 2013, with faculty members leaving, leaving only about 30 professors currently. An education official explained, "Even if there is only one student, the corporation tries to operate until the end. Rather, if the university is expelled, students would welcome it," adding, "It is urgent to seek exit strategies to resolve issues related to professors, faculty, and campus land."

◆Support Needed for Exit Strategies of Marginal Universities

Along with restructuring, there is a growing demand to expand support so that marginal universities urgently needing closure can voluntarily find exit strategies. Supporting the disposal of school property and easing restrictions on usage changes are also considered alternatives. Kim Byung-joo, professor of education at Yeungnam University, explained, "To optimize educational finance investment and proactively respond to sudden closures, it is necessary to expand dissolution reasons, designate residual property recipients, and ease restrictions on the disposal of residual property compared to the current system," adding, "Local governments should support the purchase of property used for school education among basic assets, and it is necessary to prepare funds to purchase assets of dissolving school corporations or consider establishing an organization to oversee restructuring support."

Song Ki-chang, professor of education at Sookmyung Women's University, said, "There are many legal provisions protecting corporations, and even if universities with financial support restrictions are announced, students still enroll, so closure is not easy," adding, "It is necessary to make founders perceive that liquidating the university is more advantageous than owning it. Legal amendments are needed, but also measures to return 10-20% of the property value when school basic assets are returned to society, and to resolve tax issues after sales."