JBNU (President Yang Oh-bong) has decided to broaden the scope of its international exchanges by strengthening academic cooperation with major Canadian universities and securing their participation in the short-term Korean cultural experience program 'Feeling Korea'. In particular, by jointly implementing exchange student programs with key Canadian universities, JBNU students will have expanded opportunities to study in a wider world and to enhance their global competencies.

JBNU's Cho Hwa-rim, Director of the Office of International Affairs, recently visited the Government of Quebec's Representative Office in Korea to discuss inter-university cooperation measures, including participation in 'Feeling Korea', with Laval University, Polytechnique Montréal, and the University of Sherbrooke, which will be visiting Korea.

First, JBNU agreed to conclude an agreement with Laval University, which has a close partnership with the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to facilitate exchange students and the holding of joint conferences from the first half of next year across the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the College of Business and Economics. The university is known as a leader in food and food-waste recycling programs.

JBNU also signed an MOU with Polytechnique Montréal in the first half of this year and agreed to implement exchange student programs and joint master's and doctoral degree programs in the fields of aerospace, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, AI and big data, and biomedical engineering.

An MOU was also signed with the University of Sherbrooke in the first half of this year to explore exchanges in health-care fields such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and the College of Nursing. The university has also agreed to provide free dormitory accommodation to JBNU students in the Department of Electrical Engineering and in programs related to renewable energy, semiconductors, and computer engineering, and to support practical training and internships at research institutes within the University of Sherbrooke and companies in the province of Quebec for up to four months.

In particular, the three universities that have committed to cooperation have agreed to participate in JBNU's short-term Korean cultural experience 'Feeling Korea', which JBNU operates to build a foundation for expanding international student enrollment, a move expected to greatly assist JBNU in achieving its goal of attracting 5,000 international students.

Cho Hwa-rim, Director of the Office of International Affairs at JBNU, said, 'By strengthening exchanges with major Canadian universities across academic fields, we will further elevate our standing as a research-oriented university and lay a significant foundation for attracting Canadian students. In particular, we will invite students and staff from these universities to participate in our 'Feeling Korea' program to promote the excellence of JBNU's Korean language education and Korean cultural programs and thereby encourage international student recruitment.'