'An Era of Crisis, Big Blur Between Regions and Universities' Thematic Lecture
"In the Age of Technological Transformation, Overcoming Crisis Through Big Blur"
Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang attended the ‘Global HR Forum 2023’ held on the 2nd at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul and presented opinions on ways to overcome the crisis of regional extinction through the coexistence of local communities and universities.
Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, attending the 'Global Talent Forum 2023' and presenting opinions on overcoming the crisis of regional extinction through mutual growth between local areas and universities. [Image source=Pohang City]
The Global HR Forum is a forum jointly established in 2006 by the Ministry of Education, Korea Economic Daily, and Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training. This year, under the theme ‘New Wave: Talent Revolution in the Era of AI and Big Blur,’ scholars from various countries gathered to discuss the future that next-generation talents will face and to explore ways to discover and nurture talent.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok participated in a session discussing the roles of local communities and universities facing new changes in uncertain times under the theme ‘The Future of Universities from the Perspective of Local Communities’ and delivered a lecture titled ‘Big Blur of Local Communities and Universities in an Era of Crisis.’
In his lecture, Mayor Lee proposed ways to break down the boundaries between ▲ universities and local communities, ▲ universities and local governments, and ▲ universities and local industries to achieve mutual development in response to the crisis of regional extinction caused by technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, as well as population decline.
First, Mayor Lee emphasized the importance of breaking down the boundaries between universities and local communities, explaining that universities should foster a sense of community to jointly address local issues and future challenges beyond their traditional roles centered on education and research. He cited Pohang’s POSTECH and Handong Global University as examples, highlighting plans such as the ‘East Sea Glocal Union Academy’ and the ‘Handong Regional Innovation Center’ to participate in discovering and solving local community problems.
Mayor Lee stated that to implement education policies reflecting local characteristics and will, the boundaries between universities and local governments must be dismantled. He suggested bottom-up educational innovation through the fusion of administration and universities, including granting educational autonomy to basic local governments, introducing education freedom zones to enhance autonomy, and building platforms to strengthen educational competitiveness.
He also stressed breaking down the boundaries between universities and local industries, explaining that universities should leverage their talents and technologies to supply excellent human resources and support technological innovation for local companies, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of local industries and leading to regional economic revitalization through job creation.
To break down the boundaries between universities and industries, Pohang has led the expansion of research infrastructure and investment attraction worth 14 trillion won through mutual growth. In July this year, efforts were combined to designate a secondary battery specialized complex and pass the preliminary feasibility study for the hydrogen fuel cell cluster. Furthermore, continuous cooperation will be maintained for the future establishment of a research-oriented medical school and the creation of a bio-convergence cluster.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok expressed his vision, saying, “Local communities and universities must propose ways to overcome crises through the big blur that breaks down boundaries in this era of industrial and technological transformation. The development of new technologies through the convergent and integrative thinking of creative university talents will be a key factor, and local communities will play a central role in this.”
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