Reforms, international programs drive success of Korea’s oldest school

Archaic buildings and tranquil gardens greet visitors to Sungkyunkwan University to the side of the entrance.
Founded in 1398, it was the place of study and repose for king’s scholars of Joseon Dynasty. Confucianism is still the guiding principle of the longest-running higher education institute in Korea nestled beside a royal court of the medieval dynasty in central Seoul.
Surviving over 600 years of checkered history including royal coups, wars, colonial rule and modernization, Sungkyunkwan is still one of the nation’s most respected universities. Yet its prestige lies not in traditional subjects but in global business, cutting-edge technology fields and international exchange programs.
Its MBA program and medical school are rated among the most successful in the nation. It runs a highly reputed semiconductor engineering department that has supplied talents to the nation’s key growth industry.
The school is also one of the most active promoters of educational globalization.   

 Kim Jun-young, president of Sungkyunkwan University. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)

"Globalization has been our main priority over the past years,” Kim Jun-young, the president of Sungkyunkwan University, said in an interview with The Korea Herald.
Since he was inaugurated in early 2011, Kim has been working hard to extend networks with foreign universities around the world.
SKKU is currently in partnerships with over 700 universities in more than 70 countries across the globe, and runs overseas study programs at 105 universities in 23 countries.