Korea Times conference to explore strategies for global competitiveness in higher education

The Korea Times will host a conference titled “Beyond Borders: Strengthening Global Competitiveness of Korean Universities” on Wednesday. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Grand Hall of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok

The conference will delve into the challenges facing Korean universities, as they grapple with shrinking domestic student populations due to declining birthrates, making the influx of international students increasingly important. Universities are no longer focused solely on boosting enrollment but are turning their attention to cultivating international students who understand Korea and may one day build a life here.

Participants will discuss measures to tackle these pressing challenges and explore strategies to boost the global competitiveness of higher education in Korea. With internationalization and foreign student recruitment now seen as vital to the sector’s sustainability, The Korea Times will bring together leaders and policymakers to chart a path forward.

Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will give a congratulatory speech via video, which will be followed by a special speech by Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin on the Korea government's policy for foreign students.

Singaporean Ambassador to Seoul Wong Kai Jiun will deliver an address on his country's strong points as a destination for studying abroad, and Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Ho will talk about why many Vietnamese students choose Korea for higher education.

Jung Min-chul, a partner at Samil PwC, will deliver a keynote speech on how leading universities worldwide are strengthening their global competitiveness, and what lessons their strategies hold for Korean higher education.

Jeroen Prinsen, executive director of APAC for educational consulting firm QS, will also deliver a keynote speech on how Korean universities can enhance their global rankings.

The keynote speeches will be followed by two panel discussions.

Jeroen Prinsen, QS executive director of APAC

The first session, moderated by Byun Ki-young, director of Korea University’s Higher Education Policy Research Institute, will focus on strategies to attract and support international students. Panelists include Shin Mee-kyung, director of the Education Globalization Division at the Ministry of Education; Yang Jae-wan, dean of the Korean Association of Foreign Student Administrators; Shim Hwa-young, CEO of Hire Diversity; and Robert Kelly, professor of political science at Pusan National University.

The second session will turn the spotlight on ways to better empower international students and create pathways to careers in Korea. Jung of Samil PwC will lead the discussion, joined by Kim Han-sung, vice president for international affairs at Hanyang University; Jaha Joda, CEO of BNC Global; and Ocean Yang, CEO of Careertus.

Simultaneous interpretation will be available. For more information, contact (02) 724-2265.