The Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Graduate School of Plant Quarantine (Dean Baek Seung-woo), which was selected for a government program last year to train specialists in crop pest management and quarantine and is starting its first student education this year, officially began its activities through a new student orientation.

The Graduate School of Plant Quarantine was launched following selection for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ "Agrifood Technology-Convergence Creative Talent Nurturing Project." JBNU, Chonnam National University, and Kyungpook National University formed a consortium and received KRW 6.6 billion in funding over three years to train personnel and conduct research in crop pest management and quarantine.

As the lead university, JBNU established the specialized graduate school and last year selected 30 new students—10 from each university. The program plans to train professionals who will monitor and respond to field issues of crop pests and diseases, including through the development of AI-based pest management systems.

By university, JBNU will be responsible for specialized training in plant pest surveillance, Kyungpook National University will provide specialized training in plant pest quarantine management, and Chonnam National University will provide specialized training in plant pest control.

The orientation held on the 18th included introductions of participating professors and new students, and guidance on major research areas. In particular, each of the three universities held major briefings, and information on academic administration and graduate school life was freely communicated online.

Lee Gwi-jae, Director of the Agrifood Technology-Convergence Creative Talent Nurturing Project Group, congratulated the incoming students in his keynote address. He said, “I congratulate the incoming students of the Graduate School of Plant Quarantine. We will spare no effort to support students’ research by establishing a system to train specialists in pest management and quarantine. Through the training of experts, we will take the lead in preparing for future quarantine crises and contribute to building a healthy Republic of Korea.”

Meanwhile, JBNU Graduate School of Plant Quarantine, beginning with this new student orientation conducted using the KORAD system, plans to provide a digital-based educational environment and educational content suited to the non-face-to-face era. It will create online communication spaces for students and faculty and make every effort to deliver top-level remote lectures.