[South Korea’s Education Has Lost Its Way]⑬"Let’s Create 10 Seoul National Universities by Focusing Support on Regional Flagship Universities"

The Solution to Entrance Exam Issues Begins with Breaking University Hierarchies
Raise Regional Flagship National Universities to the Level of Seoul National University
No Korean University in the Global Top 100 Except Seoul National University
Robust Financial Support Needed to Build Research-Oriented Universities
Let’s Benchmark the University of California System

Can changing the university entrance exam system free examinees, parents, and now even 7-year-old children from the so-called "entrance exam hell"?

Experts who answer "no" to this question have proposed the "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" policy. This policy is based on the recognition that the root of the problem lies in the monopolistic structure of Korean universities, and that the entrance exam is merely a dependent variable of this university hierarchy. As long as the monopolistic system represented by "SKY" (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University) exists, "entrance exam hell" is unavoidable. Experts argue that only by raising the level of the nine regional flagship national universities to that of Seoul National University can a solution to the entrance exam problem be found.

Why Does "Entrance Exam Hell" Exist Only in Korea?

University systems overseas are different from Korea’s monopolistic structure. The United States also has prestigious private universities collectively known as the Ivy League, such as Harvard and Princeton. However, experts say the U.S. system is characterized by "pluralistic hierarchies." Dozens of world-class universities exist in various fields, so the bottleneck and ranking phenomena in university selection are not as severe as in Korea. This is the analysis of Kim Jongyoung, professor at Kyung Hee University, who devised the "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" policy. Of course, there is fierce competition to enter good universities in the U.S., but not every student is obsessed with entering elite schools. As a result, the situation where enormous amounts of money are poured into private education or students repeatedly retake the entrance exam does not exist in the U.S.

In Europe, many countries have effectively achieved university equalization. With the exception of the United Kingdom and France, most European countries do not have a so-called "number one university," and their universities are relatively equalized. Tuition fees are almost nonexistent, making university education virtually free. Both American and European universities have produced numerous Nobel laureates and outstanding entrepreneurs. Experts point out that the secret is that these universities have grown as "research-oriented universities."

Building "Research-Oriented Universities": The Key Is Robust Funding

The world’s top universities are mostly research-oriented. The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is commonly used to evaluate such institutions. Among Korean universities, only Seoul National University (ranked 86th) is in the top 100 of this ranking. The United States has as many as 38 universities in the top 100, and Japan's University of Tokyo and Kyoto University are both in the top 50.

Experts say that the biggest obstacle to the regional flagship national universities in Korea?candidates for the "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" policy?becoming research-oriented universities is a lack of funding. Professor Kim stated, "Research-oriented universities in the U.S. typically operate on an annual budget of 3 to 4 trillion won, while Seoul National University’s budget is about 2 trillion won." Busan National University’s budget is reportedly only 800 billion won.

Korea’s education budget surpassed 100 trillion won long ago, but government investment in university education remains low compared to other countries. According to the 2024 OECD Education at a Glance, Korea’s per-student public education spending is below the OECD average only for "universities." At the higher education level, including universities, Korea’s per-student public expenditure is $13,573, just 66.2% of the OECD average of $20,499. The absolute amount of public education spending per university student is also lower than that for elementary and secondary students. In contrast, advanced countries such as the U.S., the U.K., and Germany invest more public education funds in higher education, including universities, than in elementary and secondary education.

Professor Kim said, "During the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the annual fiscal deficit exceeded 100 trillion won, and private education spending surpassed 30 trillion won per year. Considering that it would take about 3 trillion won in additional annual funding to create a university like Seoul National University, the government would only need to invest 0.5% of its budget, which exceeds 600 trillion won." He also stated, "In the 1970s and 1980s, regional flagship universities such as Busan National University, Kyungpook National University, and Chonnam National University were on par with Yonsei University and Korea University. If about 300 billion won is invested annually in each regional flagship university, with focused investment in artificial intelligence (AI), information technology (IT), biotechnology (BT), semiconductors, and cultural fields, I believe they can be restored to their former status within five years."

Let’s Benchmark the University of California System

There are many overseas examples of universities that achieved rapid growth through concentrated budgetary support. One such case is the University of California system in the U.S. The "California Master Plan for Higher Education," launched with the goal of turning 10 public universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA, into research-oriented universities, was completed in 1960. Although there was strong resistance to maintain the monopoly centered on the University of California, Berkeley, which was founded in 1869, the plan was carried out thanks to the determination of local politicians and then-President Clark Kerr.

Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, which triggered the "DeepSeek shock," is a graduate of Zhejiang University in China. Zhejiang University is now ranked 27th in the ARWU. Just ten years ago, no Chinese university ranked in the top 100. However, last year, 13 Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University, made it into the top 100. The U.S. is not the only model to benchmark.

"Lee Jaemyung’s Presidential Pledge"...Hoping It’s Not Just a Flash in the Pan

"Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" was also included in President Lee Jaemyung’s campaign pledges. Although it may not be possible to complete this within a five-year presidential term, the first steps to lay the foundation can be taken.

Yang Obong, president of Jeonbuk National University, who announced the "Policy Proposal for Creating 10 Seoul National Universities for National Balanced Development" at the end of April, stated, "The bottleneck in university admissions centered on a few Seoul-based universities is the reality of entrance exam hell, and is the cause of the concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, the outflow of local talent, and regional decline. We must once again establish integrated national universities in the regions."

Cha Jeongin, former president of Busan National University, said, "The flagship national universities will have to make painful efforts," and added, "The core of the policy should be to create a 'co-growth university cooperation system' among flagship national universities and regional national and private universities."