Why only 3 universities? Faculty group pushes back on 'Make 10 Seoul National Universities' picks

A national federation of professors at regional public universities has pushed back against the government's selection of only three institutions — Pusan National University, Chonnam National University and Chungnam National University — under its "Make 10 Seoul National Universities" initiative, saying the picks run counter to the spirit of balanced national development.

The National Federation of Professors at Regional National Universities issued an emergency joint statement Thursday, urging the government to add the six unselected regional national universities to the program and establish a comprehensive national support framework.

The Ministry of Education announced Sept. 1 that Pusan National University, Chonnam National University and Chungnam National University had been chosen as the first recipients of the "Make 10 Seoul National Universities" package. Each selected university is set to receive about 400 billion won ($292 million) more than other regional national universities through 2030.

The federation said the selection process had abandoned the government's own "5-pole, 3-special zone" strategy — a framework covering five regional hubs (the greater Seoul area, the southeastern, Daegu-North Gyeongsang, central and Honam regions) and three special autonomous zones (Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province and Jeju) — and instead forced regional national universities into competition and ranking, picking only some for priority support in direct contradiction of the balanced national development goal.

The group added that if the initiative widens the gap in fiscal, education and research conditions among regional national universities and creates a new hierarchy, "it is a clear policy contradiction." It called on the state to build a basic support framework that allows every regional national university to grow into a central pillar driving education, research and industry in its respective region.

The federation also questioned the fairness and transparency of the selection process, demanding that the ministry disclose the evaluation criteria, how each criterion was applied and the basis on which differences among universities were judged. "Make all evaluation criteria, procedures and results public," it said.

The group urged the Ministry of Education to take three steps: add the six unselected regional national universities to the program; conduct a full review of the competitive support framework that concentrates funding on select institutions; and release all evaluation criteria, procedures and results while guaranteeing the independence, objectivity and fairness of the assessment.

"What is needed now is national responsibility, not selection and exclusion — co-growth of regions and universities, not competition and ranking," the federation said, calling on the government and the Ministry of Education to treat the matter not as a simple project selection issue but as an opportunity to set the right fundamental direction for higher education and balanced national development in South Korea.