Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) and Seoul National University (President Yoo Hong-rim) have launched full-scale cooperation to cultivate global talent beyond the boundary between the Seoul metropolitan area and regional areas.

On January 12, the two universities held the entrance ceremony for the global overseas training program ‘JBNU & SNU Joint Program in China’ at the Office of International Affairs, Seoul National University. Jo Hwa-rim, Director of the Office of International Affairs, JBNU, and Kim Tae-gyun, Director of the Office of International Affairs, Seoul National University, attended the event. The presidents of both universities celebrated the program’s launch and encouraged the students through video congratulatory messages.

In his congratulatory remarks, Yang O-bong, President of JBNU, said, “I hope students will practice the value of ‘togetherness’ and grow into global leaders at China’s innovation sites, where technology is realized most rapidly in industry and daily life.” President Yoo Hong-rim of Seoul National University stated, “I hope this program becomes a new milestone that transcends barriers between universities, shares educational resources, and enables joint growth.”

This program is attracting attention as the first case of educational cooperation between Seoul National University and a regional flagship national university. Prior to the entrance ceremony, the two universities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the ‘Joint SNU in the World Program’ to establish an institutional foundation for sharing global educational resources and promoting sustainable joint programs. The Offices of International Affairs of both universities agreed to expand cooperation to include global joint research in the future.

Student interest was strong. JBNU received 102 applications for 20 openings, recording a competition ratio of 5.1 to 1, while Seoul National University received 60 applications for 20 openings, resulting in a 3 to 1 competition ratio. The selected 40 students will receive one week of pre-training at Seoul National University and then participate in a two-week field training in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen, China.

During the training, students will visit leading Chinese technology companies such as Alibaba, ZEEKR, Unitree, BYD, Tencent, and Huawei. They will participate in practice-oriented programs including lectures by industry experts and analyses of the global business environment.

Leading professor Kim Jeong-su (Department of Chinese Language & Literature, JBNU) expressed expectation that “in the rapidly changing global situation and intensifying international competition, students will directly experience China’s innovation sites and, through challenge and stimulation, develop their global competitiveness.”

This cooperation is significant in that it mutually opens the excellent educational infrastructure and human resources held by Seoul National University and the regional flagship national university, providing top-level global educational opportunities regardless of region. It is expected to become a new milestone for national balanced development and the cultivation of future core talents as an open higher education model that breaks down boundaries between universities.