The Council of Presidents of National Flagship Public Universities (Chair Kim Dong-won, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) President) held the "2022 1st Higher Education Policy Forum" on March 30, 2022 at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul.

The forum was hosted by the Council of Presidents of National Flagship Public Universities, organized by Kangwon National University, and held in a hybrid format combining in-person and online participation.

The forum, titled 'National Balanced Development and the Role of Regional Universities,' was convened to explore the future of universities and the direction of higher education in the Republic of Korea in response to prolonged COVID-19, the decline in the school-age population, and the challenging changes in the educational environment including the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Attendees included Kim Heon-young, President of Kangwon National University; Kim Dong-won, Chair of the Council of Presidents of National Flagship Public Universities and President of Jeonbuk National University (JBNU); Cho Hae-jin, Chair of the National Assembly's Education Committee; Jeong Un-cheon, Member of the National Assembly; Kim Byung-joon, Chair of the Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development of the 20th Presidential Transition Committee; Jeong Jong-chul, Vice Minister of Education; Lee Ki-bong, Secretary-General of the Korean Council for University Education; as well as the presidents of the ten national flagship public universities across the country and some 30 officials from the National Assembly and the Ministry of Education.

At the forum, a meeting was held between the presidents of the national flagship public universities and Kim Byung-joon, Chair of the Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development of the Presidential Transition Committee, on the theme 'Higher Education Policy Direction of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration.'

Kim Byung-joon said, "I expect this forum, by bringing together wisdom in a time of change, to serve as an opportunity to contribute to national development and the lives of the people. Given that universities must play a central role in regional balanced development, we will continue to deliberate and engage in dialogue on strengthening the competitiveness of regional universities."

Next, Oh Se-jung, President of Seoul National University, delivered a presentation titled 'The Future of Universities — Research Universities Coexisting with Local Communities.'

In diagnosing 'Causes of the Crisis in Korean Universities,' Oh Se-jung pointed to: the post-COVID society and the global transformation of universities; changes in Korea's demographic structure (declining school-age population); limits of higher education funding; and complacent responses and the protection of vested interests by university constituents. He stressed, "Beyond an education- and research-centered, industry–university collaboration era, it is necessary to foster regionally specialized research universities to achieve mutual growth between universities and local communities."

In the panel discussion, chaired by Kim Heon-young, President of Kangwon National University, panelists included Kwon Soon-gi, President of Gyeongsang National University; Jeong Seong-taek, President of Chonnam National University; Cha Jeong-in, President of Pusan National University; Choi Eun-ok, Director General for Higher Education Policy at the Ministry of Education; and Lee Jong-seung, Deputy Managing Editor of the Dong-A Ilbo. They explored measures to overcome the crisis facing universities and to advance higher education, and exchanged diverse views through a question-and-answer session with attendees.

In his opening remarks, Kim Dong-won, Chair of the Council of Presidents of National Flagship Public Universities, said, "The ten national flagship public universities that represent our country bear the heavy responsibility of leading regional and national balanced development. I hope this forum becomes a new turning point for the state to provide broad support toward realizing an advanced higher education system and for the development of university strategies that enable regionally and functionally specialized growth."

In his welcome address, Kim Heon-young, President of Kangwon National University, which organized the forum, said, "The best solution to prevent the concentration of population and resources in the Seoul metropolitan area is to nurture regional universities. If national flagship public universities are developed into world-class research universities and the competitiveness of small but strong regional universities rooted in local communities is strengthened, this can serve as a driving force to lay the foundation for national balanced development."

He added, "I hope this forum will be a meaningful opportunity for the National Assembly, the Ministry of Education, the Presidential Transition Committee, and the national flagship public universities to face the imminent challenges and seek alternatives for the advancement of higher education and the strengthening of national competitiveness."

Meanwhile, the Council of Presidents of National Flagship Public Universities held the '2021 1st Higher Education Policy Forum' in August last year under the theme 'Challenges and the Future of Higher Education in the Republic of Korea,' and subsequently held the '2021 2nd Higher Education Policy Forum' in November last year under the theme 'National Balanced Development and the Direction of Higher Education.'