Chonnam National University and Amkor Launch Joint Semiconductor Packaging Research Institute

Full-Scale Promotion of Strategic Industries under the '5 Poles and 3 Specials' Strategy

Chonnam National University is officially launching the development of regional strategic industries in accordance with the '5 Poles and 3 Special Zones' national land strategy. In November last year, Chonnam National University conducted field-oriented educational cooperation, where professors and students visited the Amkor site to directly experience semiconductor packaging processes and research environments. Provided by Chonnam National University

Chonnam National University is officially embarking on the development of regional strategic industries in accordance with the ‘5 Poles and 3 Specials’ national land strategy. The university is establishing a joint research institute for semiconductor packaging technology on its campus, formalizing a partnership with global semiconductor packaging company Amkor Technology Korea to foster balanced national development and nurture strategic industries.

According to Chonnam National University on January 9, the joint research institute for semiconductor packaging technology, which will open at the Advanced Campus on January 12, will serve as an industry-academia cooperation hub that simultaneously conducts demonstration research and cultivates talent in the packaging sector-a core technology in the era of high-performance and high-density semiconductors. The institute is characterized by a structure that directly links the university’s educational and research capabilities with the industrial field experience of a global company, ensuring that research outcomes are immediately connected to industrial applications.

Joint research will focus on national strategic core areas such as automotive and AI semiconductor packaging technology, as well as AI-based intelligent process improvement technology. Through integrated education between undergraduate, graduate, and corporate research institutes, the university plans to implement a model for cultivating highly skilled local talent. This initiative is being recognized as a concrete example of realizing the intent of the ‘5 Poles and 3 Specials’ national land strategy to foster regional strategic industries at the field level.

The industry-academia cooperation model between Chonnam National University and Amkor Technology Korea has already attracted attention in policy circles. In October last year, during the Ministry of Education’s parliamentary audit, and in December at a report by the Presidential Committee for Balanced Regional Development, the collaboration between the two institutions was introduced as an exemplary industry-academia cooperation case for universities nationwide. The model, in which a regional national university and a global company collaborate to establish research and educational systems while simultaneously promoting the local industrial ecosystem and talent retention, has been evaluated as a best practice.

To facilitate this cooperation, the two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for industry-academia collaboration in June last year, and have since gradually expanded their educational and research linkage programs. In November, Chonnam National University professors and students visited the Amkor site to experience semiconductor packaging processes and research environments firsthand, further advancing field-oriented educational cooperation.

On this day, Chonnam National University will hold a plaque unveiling ceremony for the joint research institute and confer an honorary doctorate in engineering on Lee Jin-an, CEO of Amkor Technology Korea. This gesture formally invites the top executive from the industrial sector into the academic community, symbolizing the philosophy of industry-academia cooperation where companies and universities actively collaborate for talent development and technological advancement.

At 3:00 p.m., the Yongbong Forum (commemorative lecture) will be held at Yongbong Hall, Chonnam National University, where CEO Lee Jin-an will deliver a special lecture on ‘The AI Era: The Evolution of Semiconductor Packaging Technology.’ The forum will provide an opportunity for university members and the local community to discuss the future direction of semiconductor packaging technology and the importance of industry-university collaboration.

A representative from Chonnam National University stated, “The joint research institute between Chonnam National University and Amkor Technology Korea marks the starting point for a regional national university and a global company to jointly prepare for the future of national strategic industries. Through an industry-academia cooperation model that organically connects research, education, and industry, we will contribute to strengthening national competitiveness beyond the local region.”