[Interview] Choi Jaewon, President of Pusan National University: "We Embrace Both STEM and Humanities... Will Achieve Excellence"

Presenting a New Role Model for Universities
Focusing on Developing Character and Value Education
Proactive Abolition of Mandatory University Attendance Hours
Changing the National University Labor Cost Burden System

"The essence of university education is character and intellect."

Why did a scholar who has lived as an engineering Ph.D. for 30 years emphasize the humanities? This was the most intriguing part of the interview with Choi Jae-won, President of Pusan National University, on the 22nd. His concern relates to the question of the university's reason for existence. It is about what role education, especially universities, should play for our society to move toward a better world.

This is also connected to Pusan National University's social responsibility and status. "If it's not Seoul National University, is there really a reason to send students to other regional universities?" For the citizens of Busan, Pusan National University was such a university. It was an institution standing shoulder to shoulder with the top universities in Seoul, a source of pride for them. Pusan National University was established on May 15, 1946, with donations from local residents, making it the first comprehensive national university in South Korea. This is why the affection of Busan citizens is naturally special.

There are many national universities representing their regions, but Pusan National University is different from the start. The title of the first comprehensive national university in South Korea is not something anyone can claim. Since the inauguration of President Choi Jae-won's administration in May, Pusan National University has been preparing for a second leap forward. It is laying the foundation for what capabilities need to be developed to compete with major foreign universities beyond the domestic sphere. Over the next four years, President Choi plans to collaborate closely with university members and Pusan National University alumni to find the way forward. The start is lively. The fact that an engineering professor emphasizes the importance of the humanities carries much meaning. It signals a readiness to fully consider the diverse views within the university.

The ideal talent Pusan National University aims for is the Hyowon-in, who combines creative intellect and upright character. Hyowon (曉原) means 'dawn field' in Korean. It symbolizes preparing for the future with the attitude of diligently breathing the dawn air. Pusan National University is the only university in Korea that has a medical school, dental school, Korean medicine school, pharmacy school, and law school graduate program all together. President Choi plans to devote efforts to establishing Pusan National University as a new role model for universities. His ambition is to present a new path for national universities so that people can say Pusan National University graduates have this kind of aura and naturally associate excellence with Pusan National University.

Choi Jae-won, President of Pusan National University, is being interviewed on the 22nd at the Gaonnarae Museum of Pusan National University. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Below is the full Q&A with the president.

- It has been two months since your inauguration. What have you felt during this time?

▲ Having served as a professor at Pusan National University for a long time in the region and now taking on the role of university president, I feel that people have high expectations. Pusan National University, as a national university, must bear the weight of responsibility for higher education in our country, and I increasingly feel the need to deeply contemplate its vision. Every day, my heart feels very heavy. Over the past two months, I have been busy visiting key local institutions, media outlets, the central government, and the National Assembly. In July, I attempted reforms through organizational restructuring within the university to utilize resources more efficiently.

- In your inaugural speech, you mentioned presenting a role model for a flagship national university. What specific role model do you envision?

▲ The core of what a university does is education and research. I want to redefine the standards for education for students. For Pusan National University to be recognized as a leader among national universities, we need a representative champion that shows our excellence and representativeness. Like 'K-pop' and 'K-food,' I plan to develop fields unique to Pusan National University.

Busan is surrounded by mountains and the sea and is also a logistics hub. By leveraging this geopolitical advantage, we must cultivate our unique fields to present new paths. We aim to develop various fields. I believe national universities should not be raised like an only child, as other science and technology institutes do, but rather nurture a large family where everyone lives happily. Although the humanities are said to be in crisis, we have the mission to embrace both science and engineering and the humanities.

I especially want to emphasize the importance of character and value education. Infrastructure and human resources are concentrated in the metropolitan area, and demand is focused on certain majors, causing other universities and majors to feel marginalized. However, this is a huge loss nationally and a truly unfortunate situation for individuals' lives. Rather than uniform standards, education should teach that each student is important and precious.

Choi Jae-won, President of Pusan National University, is being interviewed on the 22nd at the Gaonnarae Hall of the Pusan National University Museum. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

- As an engineering expert, what led you to emphasize a humanities mindset?

▲ After passing my 40s and raising children, I deeply felt the importance of altruistic values. From the perspective of each parent, every student is precious, and they hope their children achieve a valuable life, not just success as defined by society. As a senior who has lived life and as a parent, I cannot continuously guide my children down the wrong path. Education on character is not properly provided, and if we keep building on that shaky foundation, it will harm society.

- As a president with an engineering background emphasizing the humanities, you might have a greater impact on campus.

▲ I asked humanities professors about the crisis in the humanities. They said that while engineering research contributes by enriching life or reducing product costs, the humanities provide resonance to the world and deep life lessons through novels, public lectures, and other content. I believe that in the future, all university faculty evaluations should move away from uniform, performance-centered criteria. Especially for the humanities, achievements should be evaluated not only by papers but also by lectures and publications.

- What kind of innovation are you planning?

▲ The biggest obstacle to university development is the 'teaching hours issue' for faculty. Although the government abolished the mandatory minimum of 9 hours per week for full-time faculty, universities have not practically implemented this. All faculty evaluations and allowance systems are based on the 9-hour minimum. Our university plans to be a pioneer in applying this change. Universities will increasingly focus on basic research. For national universities, undergraduate education will be largely replaced by online, and graduate education will become the focus. However, university systems are so complexly intertwined that we do not even know how to change them. We plan to analyze what practices and systems need to be changed at the university level and what can be changed at the government level.

Choi Jae-won, President of Pusan National University, is being interviewed on the 22nd at the Gaonnarae Hall of the Pusan National University Museum. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

- Does Pusan National University have goals to raise its status not only domestically but also internationally?

▲ Pusan National University's ranking in influential global university evaluations such as QS and THE has risen significantly to within the top 500 worldwide. Notably, it is the only national university to enter the top 100 in the QS and THE Asia University Rankings. However, these evaluations, known as the three major global ranking indicators, have limitations. They do not reflect educational capabilities, which are difficult to quantify, and focus only on research capabilities. Moreover, QS and THE are all based on Western standards. Asian countries struggle to achieve high rankings despite their efforts. I think we should spend about 50% of our energy on improving rankings and 50% on genuinely enhancing our capabilities. Our goal is to be ranked around 300 globally, but we will strive to truly excel.

- A common concern among universities is the long-standing freeze on tuition fees. Is Pusan National University worried about finances?

▲ It is a very serious problem. National universities receive government support, so they will not starve, but they are close to a starvation state. Public utility fees, prices, and labor costs are rising, but government support keeps decreasing. The extension of the Higher Education and Lifelong Education Special Account (Goteuk Account) period is necessary. Furthermore, national universities pay civil servant and lecturer salaries from their own budgets, not the government. As of last year, Pusan National University's civil servant salaries amounted to about 123.5 billion KRW, of which 67.7% is government support, and the remaining 32.3%, about 15.8 billion KRW, is covered by the university itself. This burden is increasing. The system of civil servant salary burdens borne by national universities themselves must be changed.

- The declining school-age population is also a crisis factor for universities. Is there a solution?

▲ Busan's population is currently 3.2 million. The fundamental reason for the declining school-age population is poor living conditions. Graduates of Pusan National University who want to live in Busan need to find decent jobs and get married. However, Busan lacks large manufacturing companies. Without high-quality jobs, there is only outflow of talent. If you do not cultivate the forest, how can birds come? Busan needs to establish living conditions, and Pusan National University must develop its own 'prestige.' In the U.S., students choose schools based on reputation and fields, not region. Why do students in Korea choose schools based on region? Does this mean universities lack distinctiveness?

- How do you want to be remembered as a president?

▲ I want to be remembered as someone who restored the essence of university education. This means helping each individual student recognize their unique talents, understand their value, develop and demonstrate them, turning them into majors and careers, and living lives that positively influence those around them. I hope to be remembered as someone who presented a new path for national universities so that people say, "Pusan National University graduates have this kind of aura," and "This field is Pusan National University's."

Interview by: Ryu Jeong-min, Head of Social Affairs Department

Summary by: Reporter Park Joon-yi