Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), under President Yang Oh‑bong, which has announced a goal of recruiting 5,000 international students through the Glocal University 30 project, is solidifying that plan through cooperation with major U.S. universities. Beginning on the 13th, President Yang Oh‑bong visited leading U.S. universities and fostered close partnerships. 

During this visit, President Yang met with Michael Avaltroni, President of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), and signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The university, which operates two campuses in New Jersey and campuses in Vancouver, Canada, and London, UK, is one of the seven founding member universities of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP). It is also known to be popular among Korean students due to its proximity to New York.

Given the university’s popularity with students, the agreement is expected to promote active student exchanges. During the discussions, JBNU’s participation in the IAUP was also discussed in depth. Building on this agreement, JBNU plans to pursue an MOU with the Jeonbuk Provincial Office of Education to implement a UN training program for high school students. The program is expected to provide valuable overseas training opportunities not only for JBNU students but also for local high school students.

President Yang also visited California State University, Dominguez Hills, one of the 23 campuses in the California State University system, to further expand inter-university cooperation.

Last April, President Thomas A. Parham visited JBNU and the two universities signed a "dual degree" agreement to pursue a master's-level dual degree program in the internationally significant field of cyber security. During this return visit, President Yang met again with President Parham to jointly pursue research on developing e-drone soccer within the e-sports field. They agreed to collaborate so that a beta version of the e-drone soccer developed by both universities can be showcased at the Drone Soccer World Cup to be held in Jeonju in 2025. They also detailed plans for related academic exchanges, including public academic conferences.

In particular, the two universities closely discussed jointly organizing e-sports conferences and gaming tournaments, a shared area of interest. Specifically, they agreed to hold a joint e-sports conference as an online and in-person event in July, with relevant faculty members and departments from both universities to finalize the program details. They also agreed to hold a gaming tournament around September–October, with specifics such as event categories and match durations to be determined. Additionally, President Thomas A. Parham will revisit JBNU in October to further strengthen exchanges.

President Yang also visited the University of California, Irvine (hereinafter UC Irvine), a leading U.S. academic institution, and met with Vice Provost Hal Stern, Liang Li Wu, Officer for International Student Exchange, and Hye‑Won Shin, Korea Exchange Director, to discuss student exchanges, joint research, and the signing of an official MOU. As there is no existing MOU between JBNU and UC Irvine, they discussed promptly concluding an MOU and pursuing joint academic exchanges and research in the energy field.

President Yang Oh‑bong said, "I am very pleased to have achieved close cooperative outcomes with major U.S. universities. We will produce tangible results in student exchanges and joint research to lay the foundation for recruiting 5,000 international students, and we will further broaden opportunities for our students to pursue their ambitions on the global stage."