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Seoul Nat`l Univ. Asked to Build 2nd Campus in Sejong City

Seoul Nat`l Univ. Asked to Build 2nd Campus in Sejong City

Posted November. 21, 2009 09:20,   

한국어

The government has officially asked Seoul National University to create a draft plan for its planned second campus in Sejong City, located in North Chungcheong Province near Daejeon.

Seoul National, Korea University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology will also be allowed to set up campuses in the city.

Kim Kwan-bok in charge of support for universities at the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, said yesterday, “We asked Seoul National University planning director Ju Jong-nam to create a draft for the school’s planned campus in Sejong City. As of now, Seoul National University, Korea University and KAIST will have a presence in the city. Other universities are not under consideration.

The ministry said it expects that Seoul National will suggest measures to create new sectors, including converged studies and future studies, instead of moving several of its established courses to Sejong City.

The majority of Seoul National officials support measures to establish new departments combining engineering studies, hospitals and others such as business administration.

Seoul National University Hospital also announced a plan to set up an advanced converged medical treatment and research center with 800 beds.

“We’ll establish a hospital focusing on research and clinical studies of cancer and brain and retina diseases,” a school source said.

The hospital will introduce a particle therapy device worth 200 billion won (172 million U.S. dollars) that is considered superior to the proton therapy machine used by the National Cancer Center.

An Education Ministry official said, “Given that the government has asked Seoul National University to set up its second campus in the city, it will be hard for the university to decline the suggestion.”

A Seoul National professor also implied that the school’s overall stance has changed, saying, “Seoul National University President Lee Jang-moo does not oppose the idea of establishing a second campus.”

Lee has yet to express a clear opinion on the second campus.

Kwon Tae-shin, chief of the Office of the Prime Minister, hosts a weekly conference on government support for Sejong City attended by vice ministers from Knowledge Economy Ministry and the Education Ministry.

Accordingly, ministries are cooperating with administrative staff in charge of the Sejong City project to attract universities, corporations and research centers there.



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