[Meet the President] Seoul National University conquered Korea — now it’s aiming for the world

Seoul National University President Oh Se-Jung says international students are given the chance to collaborate with the brightest minds in Korea at his school, which ranked 29th in this year’s QS World University Rankings, becoming the first Korean university to enter the top 30 schools on a major world university ranking. [PARK SANG-MOON]

BTS. “Squid Game.” SM.
 
The creators behind each of these success stories all graduated from Seoul National University. Oh Se-Jung, the school’s president, was quick to point out these merits in a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily when asked about the strengths of his alma mater.
 
Thanks to these Seoul National University alumni, he said, the world was able to witness a Korean boy band take over the global music scene, a Korean actor become the first Asian to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series, and a K-pop entertainment agency lay the groundwork for the country’s rise to pop culture prominence.
 
However, that doesn’t mean Seoul National University is particularly set on Hallyu, or the Korean wave.
 
“We didn’t teach them about K-pop or cultural content creation,” Oh said of BTS producer Bang Si-hyuk, “Squid Game” director Hwang Dong-hyuk and SM founder Lee Soo-man.
 
They all came to Seoul National University, obtained intellectual inspiration from their fellow peers and went on to become pioneers in their respective fields, Oh explained. And that, he went on, is what makes Seoul National University so special.
 
“Being in an environment filled with the country’s smartest students, sharing thoughts and developing ideas,” Oh said. “I mean, that’s the greatest advantage of attending the nation’s best university.”
 
In the interview, conducted by the paper’s executive editor Lee Moo-young, Oh talked about Seoul National University’s approach to globalization and how the school, which is the top Korean university based on world rankings, is striving to do even better.
 
The following are excerpts from the interview.
 

An aerial view of Seoul National University’s Gwanak Main Campus in Gwanak District, southern Seoul [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Shim Han-joon, center, a Seoul National University Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering, loads SNUGLITE-Ⅱ, one among four CubeSats that were carried into outer space by Korea’s domestically developed rocket Nuri on June 21, before liftoff. [YONHAP]

Princeton University Prof. June Huh, this year’s recipient of the Fields Medal, the most prestigious honor in mathematics, gives a special lecture at Seoul National University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, on July 27. [YONHAP]

Jaha Pond, a popular rest area on the Gwanak Main Campus [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

The iconic front gate of Seoul National University, the area of which was recently renovated to remove roads and create a square for more pedestrian space [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Oh Se-Jung is the 27th president of Seoul National University. His four-year term began in 2019, and he taught physics at the university from 1984 to 2016.
 
Oh served as dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University from 2004 to 2008; president of the National Research Foundation of Korea in 2011; president of the Institute for Basic Science from 2011 to 2014; vice president of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies from 2011 to 2014; and a member of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communication Committee of the 20th National Assembly from 2016 to 2018. He also served as a member of numerous presidential advisory commissions on national science education.
 
He published 181 academic papers — 163 in international journals and 18 in Korean journals. He was named Scientist to be Emulated by Korea’s Ministry of Science and Technology in 2003.
 
Oh received his bachelor’s in physics at Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in the same field at Stanford University.

Name
Seoul National University
 
Type
National
 
Established
Oct. 15, 1946
 
English slogan
A Community of Knowledge, Leading the Future
 
Location
Gwanak Main Campus: Gwanak District, southern Seoul
Yeongeon Medical Campus: Jongno District, central Seoul
Pyeongchang Campus: Pyeongchang County, Gangwon
Siheung Campus: Siheung, Gyeonggi
 
Campus size
8,740,207 square meters (2,159.75 acres)
 
Undergraduate colleges and departments
Colleges: 15
Schools and departments: 83
 
Graduate schools
13
 
Students (2022)
Undergraduates: 20,390
Postgraduates: 13,558
Total: 33,948
 
Full-time academic staff (2022)
2,188
 
Employment rate (2021)
71.1 percent
 
English website
https://en.snu.ac.kr/
 
Instagram
@snu.official
 
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/c/SeoulNationalUniversity
 
International students
 
Number of students (2022)
Undergraduates: 208
Postgraduates: 1,035
Short-term students (language learning, exchange program, etc.): 437
Total: 1,680
 
By country (2022)
China 27 percent
United States 8 percent
Germany 4 percent
Other 61 percent (105 countries)
 
Department with the most international students (2022)
College of Engineering
 
Average tuition of self-funded undergraduate students per semester (2022)
6 million won ($4,200) 

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]