Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) hosted an invited special lecture on the afternoon of the 18th at Jinsudang Glocal Hall, where Professor Kim Jong-yeong of Kyung Hee University delivered a talk titled 'The Lee Jae-myung Administration's Unicorn Policy: Making Ten Seoul National Universities.'

 'Making Ten Seoul National Universities' author Professor Kim outlined the structural problems facing Korea — the decline of regional universities, concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, and the deepening disparities in education and healthcare — and emphasized that a new national strategy to address these issues must be to establish world-class research universities across the country's regions.

In his lecture, Professor Kim presented detailed global cases demonstrating that universities are the foundation of national competitiveness. He discussed changes and innovations in the university systems of Germany, the United States, and China. He explained that the rapid rise of Chinese universities is a representative example of how universities can become engines of national development when strategic state investment is combined with political leadership.

He said, 'We are now in an era when knowledge determines a nation's fate,' and added, 'To resolve metropolitan overcrowding and regional decline simultaneously, research-focused universities like Seoul National University must be located in the country's major regions.'

He also identified the 'absence of world-class universities' as the reason South Korea's regional innovation policies have failed to produce results for decades. Professor Kim cited examples of global innovation cities — Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston, and San Diego — which developed around strong research universities. He explained why the 'triple helix' model repeatedly emphasized by regions has not worked in Korea, saying, 'Universities must be strong for companies to come, and companies must come for a region's industrial ecosystem to be completed.' He added, 'A thick innovation ecosystem is created only when world-class universities, global companies, and a government with policy vision act together.'

Professor Kim framed 'Making Ten Seoul National Universities' not as a mere education policy but as a national survival strategy. He presented the University of California (UC) system as the representative model and explained how a university network that achieves both excellence and accessibility can transform a nation. He pointed to the structural budget gap — with Seoul National University's current budget at about 2 trillion won, while regional flagship national universities remain at around 600 billion won — and emphasized, 'National balance will be possible only if ten regional flagship national universities receive the same level of financial investment as Seoul National University.'

He also noted that educational imbalance ultimately leads to medical disparities. Citing that nearly half of Seoul National University Hospital's patients come from outside the capital region and that more than 700,000 patients from the regions seek care annually at Seoul's 'Big 5' hospitals, he said, 'Making ten Seoul National Universities is also making ten Seoul National University Hospitals. It is a fundamental alternative to alleviate the pain of patients who must travel to the metropolitan area for treatment of serious illnesses.'

He added, 'It took nearly a century of political and social struggle for the University of California system to emerge,' and stressed, 'Making ten Seoul National Universities is likewise impossible without the resolve of local residents and regional politicians.'

President Yang O-bong said, 'This lecture was a meaningful occasion for our community to gain a vivid understanding of the current state and future strategies of higher education in South Korea,' and added, 'I hope it served as an opportunity to reflect on the role universities must play amid the era-defining tasks of regional balanced development and strengthening national competitiveness.'