South Korean professors to lecture at a university in North Korea

‘South Korean professors and North Korean students?’

Professors from Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea will give lectures on information technology to graduate students at Kim Chaek Engineering University in Pyongyang. It is the first inter-Korean academic exchange materialized since the landmark Summit on Jun. 15, 2000. The exchange is seen as a positive sign of North Korea’s adopting the pragmatist line.

Hanyang University announced that it had signed an academic cooperation agreement with Kim Chaek Engineering University at the end of May. According to the agreement, using their summer break, two professors and two assistants from Hanyang University will teach information technology courses at the North Korean University for two months from Jul. 1.

Prof. Cha Jaehyuk of Information and Communications department and Prof. Oh Heekook of Electronics and Computer Engeeniring department will lecture on ‘Operating System’ and ‘Data Base Application/Development and Management System’. Each course will be carried twice for a month, five hours a day in every weekday, for each class.

The number of students in each subject will be 40. It is estimated that 160 to 200 students will take the courses. Hanyang University promoted the exchange program because it thought its highly renowned engineering department could help to boost substantial exchanges between the two universities. Moreover Kim Lyun Joon, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hanyang University, is from Myungchun in North Korea.

Graduate School for International Studies Dean Lee Seungchul, who visited the North Korean University, said,” While North Korea has reached a certain level in computer programming, the country falls far behind in Operating Systems and other fields.” “ It seems that North Korea is eager to learn capitalism judging from their interest in learning computer technologies, international economics and business administration,” he added.

inchul@donga.com