The Council of Presidents of National Key Universities (Chair: Kim Il-hwan, President of Jeju National University, hereinafter the Council) held the "2024 2nd Regular Meeting" on the 2nd at Chungbuk National University and discussed measures to establish laboratory safety for newly appointed faculty.

Universities are currently experiencing new changes, including interdisciplinary research and the establishment of departments that move beyond undeclared majors and the traditional humanities–science divide. The number of departments and laboratories that require new safety equipment and facilities is increasing every year. Until 2023, the Ministry of Education's national university laboratory safety environment foundation project supported improvements to laboratory environments and provided safety equipment. However, from 2024 the Ministry's support has been drastically reduced, making it difficult to comply with laboratory safety-related laws.

Accordingly, the Council reached a consensus on the need to provide budgetary support so that laboratories can be established safely, in order to protect the health and lives of research personnel and to prevent laboratory accidents. The Council agreed to request that the Ministry of Education allocate funding for the Safety Environment Foundation Project at the 2023 support level to build safe environments in newly appointed faculty laboratories.

Meanwhile, the Council of Presidents of National Key Universities is a body composed of the presidents of 10 national key universities. Member institutions — Kangwon National University, Kyungpook National University, Gyeongsang National University, Pusan National University, Seoul National University, Chonnam National University, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), Jeju National University (chair), Chungnam National University, and Chungbuk National University — are working to strengthen cooperation among national key universities and to contribute to higher education and national development.