SOUTH KOREA

Ministry criticised for attempting to control universities

The Ministry of Education has come under fire for attempting to take control of state-run universities by appointing political cronies as their presidents, which violates the universities' independence guaranteed by law, writes Chung Hyun-chae for The Korea Times.

Criticism has mounted as the ministry sent an official letter late last month, telling three public universities to submit new presidential candidates to the ministry. The three universities are Kongju National University in Gongju, South Chungcheong province; Kyungpook National University in Daegu; and Korea National Open University in Seoul.

Since the ministry rejected the presidential candidates that the three universities recommended last year, the top posts have remained vacant. The ministry didn't explain the reasons why candidates submitted were deemed unqualified, saying it was a matter of privacy.
Full report on The Korea Times site