Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
SNU’s foreign faculty face barriers in Korea’s insider-dominated academia
The Seoul National University campus entrance in Gwanak District, Seoul / Courtesy of Seoul National University
By Jung Da-hyun
Elite university welcomes international students, but foreign faculty face alumni-centric system
Martin Steinegger, a professor in Seoul National University’s Department of Biological Sciences
Even at Seoul National University (SNU) — widely regarded as Korea’s top postsecondary institution — foreign professors say that globalization rarely reaches the faculty ranks, despite the university’s broader push toward internationalization.
While international student recruitment is accelerating, efforts to attract, integrate and support foreign faculty lag far behind, with many pointing to entrenched “closed circles” as a major barrier.
“The Korean system is very network-driven, and if you are not part of the SNU alumni circle, you tend to be excluded,” said Martin Steinegger, a professor from Germany in the university’s department of biological sciences.
Uwe Fischer, an associate professor in Seoul National University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy at Seoul National University
For foreign faculty who have never studied or worked in Korea, that barrier can be steep.
“You start with no network, and that makes it extremely difficult to even get your footing — because who you know is crucial for research success, grants, collaborations and everything,” he added.
Sascha Trippe, a German professor in SNU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, echoed that the overwhelming majority of SNU’s faculty is still Korean, and many are either alumni or have previously worked in the university.
In this environment, key administrative processes, email communications, faculty meetings and university governance remain overwhelmingly Korean, restricting foreign professors from fully participating in the community or taking on leadership roles.
“I wanted to join a faculty hiring committee, but I was only accepted once and couldn’t continue,” said Uwe Fischer, a German associate professor in SNU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.
He noted that committee meetings are conducted entirely in Korean, creating an environment in which foreign professors struggle to engage in governance or contribute beyond research and teaching.
Compared to universities in Europe, North America, Singapore or Hong Kong, SNU has very limited faculty diversity. Most professors are Korean, and many are alumni of SNU.
A report released in July by the university’s diversity council found that, as of October 2024, 77.5 percent of SNU’s Korean faculty members were alumni of its own undergraduate program.
The university has 118 full-time foreign professors as of this year, representing less than 5 percent of the entire full-time faculty. Despite years of globalization efforts, that number has changed little since 2015, when there were 104.
Foreign professors noted that even among those counted as “international” faculty, many have Korean ties, such as being Korean American or having Korean parents or grandparents. As a result, they estimate that the share of professors who are truly non-Korean is closer to 2 to 2.5 percent.
They say the situation differs by department, but openings for non-Korean faculty are largely frozen. Several professors told The Korea Times that hiring committees still fill most positions with Korean candidates.
Sascha Trippe, a German professor in Seoul National University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy
“About 15 years ago, there was a government-led program that gave universities additional support to create professorships specifically for international hires,” Trippe said. “In my department, two positions were added. But since then, the trend has reversed, and those kinds of openings have mostly disappeared.”
In such an environment, the lack of systemic support from the university makes it even harder for foreign professors to settle and integrate.
This year, SNU elevated its international affairs division to the higher-level Office of International Affairs (OIA). But there is still no equivalent unit dedicated to assisting or managing foreign faculty members.
“There is nobody for foreign professors,” Fischer said. “If we have proposals or need administrative help, we can only raise it at the department level — and there is no guarantee it will ever be addressed or resolved at the university level.”
John DiMoia, an American professor in Seoul National University's Department of Korean History
John DiMoia, an American professor in SNU’s Department of Korean History, pointed out that what foreign academics need is not mere translation, but support in navigating Korean institutional culture.
“The main issue is that the system assumes everyone — even those who are not Korean — will think and operate like a Korean,” he said.
He recalled an experience while signing his contract, when the university asked him to submit fingerprints for a police background check — something administrators viewed as routine paperwork for an official procedure, but a startling request to him.
“For me, fingerprinting is associated with criminal processing and a violation of privacy,” DiMoia said. “It was strange, and it would have helped to have more explanation to understand the context.”
Housing problems add another major hurdle to the long-term stay of foreign professors.
The high deposits required for long-term rentals, coupled with limited access to loans and the unfamiliar jeonse system, make securing stable accommodation extremely difficult. Unique to Korea, the jeonse system is a rental arrangement where a tenant pays a large lump-sum deposit to a landlord in lieu of monthly rent.
“It means locking up most of your savings in a system you don’t understand — a contract written in Korean, with a landlord you’ve never met. It feels like taking a huge risk,” Fischer said.
SNU does provide faculty housing, which helps newcomers initially. But professors can only use those accommodations for a maximum of seven years. The university said it has no plans to expand or add additional faculty apartments.
“Recent policy changes restricting property purchases by foreigners have made things even worse, creating more uncertainty about long-term settlement,” Steinegger said.
“Having a dedicated university body — or even a specific person — to help with these administrative tasks from the start would make settling in much easier,” he added.
SNU officials told The Korea Times that although there is no dedicated body for foreign faculty, the OIA provides various support programs to help foreign professors settle and adjust to life on campus.