The Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Graduate School of Plant Quarantine, established last year after being selected for a government program to train quarantine specialists and manage plant pests and diseases that cause significant damage to crops, will administer the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency's plant quarantine qualification examinations and training on a consignment basis.

To this end, Jeonbuk National University (President Kim Dong-won) and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (Director Park Bong-gyun) signed a memorandum of understanding at 4:00 p.m. on the 7th to cultivate practical personnel for plant pest management and quarantine.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency is the nation's foremost national-standard authority for quarantine and biosecurity, responsible for blocking the introduction of overseas plant pests and animal infectious diseases to protect public health and safeguard the country's agriculture and livestock sectors. It has also established an advanced plant pest and animal disease management system using ICT-based big data and conducts scientific quarantine based on risk analysis.

The JBNU Graduate School of Plant Quarantine is a specialized educational institution that trains personnel in pest and disease management and quarantine based on a professional curriculum covering pest diagnosis, management, and control.

Under the agreement, both institutions agreed to develop personnel not only through plant quarantine qualification examinations and training but also by nurturing experts in plant pest surveillance, quarantine, and control.

They also pledged to engage in close cooperation to support mutual personnel exchanges and training — including education, training, consultation, and field visits — and to jointly utilize training- and education-related facilities, equipment, and technical resources.

Director Park Bong-gyun stated, "Participation in the development and operation of plant pest management and education and research programs, and the activation of university-centered research with excellent infrastructure to strengthen students' practical skills, are of paramount importance. Through close cooperation, we will do our utmost to deliver tangible outcomes for regional development."

President Kim Dong-won responded, "This agreement with the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency is an opportunity to advance the field of plant pest response, a national and social priority in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," adding, "We will actively utilize the university's research capabilities and resources to work toward establishing a sustainable framework of mutual cooperation between the Agency and the university."