Is education ministry ousting KAIST chief?
By Kang Shin-who
Staff reporter
High-ranking education ministry officials have been accused of attempting to oust the president of the state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
Sources said top officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology requested the school board members to cast ballots opposing the re-election of the sitting president Suh Nam-pyo.
Some of the university board members are claiming that ministry officials called them to vote against giving a second term to Suh, hinting that top ministry officials may be involved in using their influence in the election.
However, the ministry denies the allegation.
It admitted that a high-ranking official visited the school to meet some board members, but he never supported or opposed any of the candidates or tried to sway the vote.
"The ministry did not intervene in the election," the ministry said in a statement.
Under the regulations of the school, a president recommendation committee selects less than three candidates and the university board, consisting of 19 members from other universities or industries, elects one.
The school board last week held a session to select the next president, but failed to reach an agreement as the board members were divided over the re-election of the current president. Another session is scheduled on Friday.
Suh, one of the world's most respected mechanical engineering researchers and educators, took office in 2006 and carried through a series of reforms over the past four years, braving severe opposition from faculty members. His term ends on July 13 and he is seeking a second term.
The president has American citizenship and altered the entire school curricula so it would be conducted in English and expelled a number of professors, who were poorly rated by implementing stricter standards for professors applying for tenure positions. Also, he introduced an innovative admission system that many Korean universities have copied.