The Korean Council for University Education announced Thursday that it will hold an inauguration ceremony for its new chairman, Yang O-bong, who is also the current president of Jeonbuk National University.

The ceremony will take place on Friday, marking the start of Chairman Yang’s term, which runs from March 1 to Feb. 28 next year.


Yang has pledged to expand higher education funding during his tenure, including advocating for an extension of the special higher education account. This funding scheme, introduced in 2023, redirects a portion of education tax revenue — previously reserved for kindergarten, elementary, and junior high schools — to universities. The program is currently set to end this December. Another key initiative is the successful implementation of the Regional Innovation System & Education initiative, a government-led program designed to foster collaboration between universities and regional governments.

Yang also aims to push for greater autonomy in tuition fee adjustments within the legal cap. While universities are allowed to increase tuition within limits set by the Ministry of Education, government funding is currently restricted to institutions that keep undergraduate tuition rates unchanged — an indirect deterrent to fee hikes.

"Universities are facing an unprecedented challenge," Yang said in his inaugural address. "The sharp decline in the student population, financial strain on universities, and increasingly intense global competition pose serious threats to their survival."

He emphasized the need for universities to "cultivate high-caliber talent, strengthen their research competitiveness, and contribute to both local and national development."

Born in 1962, Yang earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Korea University, followed by a master's and Ph.D. in the same field from KAIST. He began teaching chemistry at Jeonbuk National University in 1995 and was appointed as its president in 2023.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]