Presidential hopefuls pledge to revive regional universities

The two leading presidential candidates have unveiled higher education pledges centered on revitalizing regional universities. Lee Jae-myung of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea proposed a “10 Seoul National Universities” initiative, aiming to raise nine provincial national universities to the level of Seoul National University (SNU). Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party pledged to implement a “joint degree system,” in which SNU and regional schools would share faculty and courses and issue the same diplomas. Both proposals are aimed at reducing university hierarchies and narrowing the education gap between Seoul and the provinces.

Successive administrations have attempted similar policies, but most have fallen short due to chronic funding shortages and disputes over fairness and efficiency. Lee’s plan, which includes raising research funding at regional national universities to 70% of SNU’s level, is estimated to cost around 3 trillion won, but he has not specified how the funds would be secured. Kim’s proposal also faces skepticism; a similar plan between SNU and Gyeongsang National University collapsed in 2024 after SNU students raised concerns over fairness. Without detailed implementation strategies, these promises risk meeting the same fate.

It is also troubling that both candidates’ proposals overlook private universities, which account for 80% of Korea’s higher education institutions. As of now, the number of 18-year-olds eligible for college entrance stands at 400,000—well below the total university enrollment quota of 490,000. By 2040, that number is projected to drop to just 280,000. Given that metropolitan and national universities already account for 260,000 seats, private institutions in the provinces are on the brink of collapse. To avoid a systemic failure of the university ecosystem, so-called “zombie universities”—those unable to pay staff or invest in education—must be phased out.

For a resource-poor country like Korea, strengthening higher education to build human capital is vital to its future. Yet government spending on higher education amounts to just 0.7% of GDP, below the OECD average of 1%. Public spending per university student is even lower than that for elementary and secondary students. To ensure the survival of the sector, Korea must remove fiscal barriers that prevent educational subsidies from being used beyond K-12 and roll back the more than 100 regulations currently stifling private universities.