Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Konkuk University to accept 1,364 students based on CSAT scores
The campus of Konkuk University in Seoul / Courtesy of Konkuk University
By Jung Min-ho
Konkuk University will accept 1,364 new students for the academic year of 2025 through its regular admissions, which are based primarily on the results of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).
According to officials at the Seoul-based school on Thursday, the number includes 145 spots allocated to applicants under special circumstances — 63 for those from low-income families, 80 from rural regions and two for graduates from vocational schools.
Of them, 60 would be “undecided major students,” who would be allowed to choose majors after freely attending classes during their first year. Another 60 engineering college students would also be given one year before choosing what they want to focus on in that college.
The introduction of this system is one of the most significant changes for the university this year, officials said.
In Korea, most students are given specific majors when they are accepted into certain universities. But in recent years, many universities have increased the portion of undecided major students as they try to give students more time and freedom to think about what they want to study further before settling on their majors.
In addition, there have been structural changes to some college departments. For example, the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering will be divided next year into two — the department of mechanical, robot and automobile engineering and the department of aerospace and mobility engineering.
Another notable change is the consideration of bullying records during the evaluation process. Records of using violence toward other students in high school or middle school could negatively affect the applicant's chances of being accepted.
The school will begin accepting applications between Dec. 31 and Jan. 2. The announcement of successful applicants will be made at 2 p.m. on Feb. 6.