Chungnam National University opens Korean language center in Tashkent ahead of campus launch

Chungnam National University campus / Courtesy of Chungnam National University

The Ministry of Education said Monday that Chungnam National University (CNU) has opened a Korean Language Education Center (KLEC) in Uzbekistan, marking the first step toward launching a full campus in Tashkent later this year.

CNU signed a memorandum of agreement in April with two Uzbek institutions — Tashkent Perfect University and Bukhara Innovation University — to operate a program under the CNU name.

The planned Chungnam National University in Tashkent (CNUT) is scheduled to open in the second half of 2025, with all courses taught in Korean. The newly opened KLEC will help incoming and enrolled students build the Korean proficiency needed to follow university-level instruction.

CNUT students will complete their first two years in Uzbekistan using CNU's curriculum, textbooks and learning management system. Students who achieve Level 4 or higher on the Test of Proficiency in Korean will be eligible to complete their third and fourth years at CNU's main campus in Daejeon and graduate with a CNU degree.

The ministry said CNU's Uzbekistan push grew out of five years of agricultural education cooperation with Tashkent Agricultural University, supported through the government's official development assistance program for higher education.

Uzbekistan's higher education participation rate has risen sharply, from 7 percent in 2015 to 47.7 percent in 2024, making it an attractive market for Korean universities. Several private Korean institutions including Inha and Ajou Universities already operate franchise programs in Tashkent.

The ministry said it is working to remove regulatory and financial barriers facing universities operating overseas and plans to use CNU's experience as a model for broader expansion.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.