The number of foreigners who receive their master’s or doctoral degrees from Seoul National University and take position at universities in their native countries has been gradually increasing. This shows that Seoul National University has succeeded in performing the role of developing globally talented people.

In case of the Department of Korean Education, in the past 10 years, 9 foreigners who studied in Seoul National University have been appointed to the position of professor in the department of Koreanology at their homeland universities. With their experience of earning a master’s or doctoral degree in Seoul National University, they are now taking on the role of delivering the ‘Korean trend of knowledge’ to their countries.

Also, we can see that their nationalities are varied, from Indian to Vietnamese. Neerja Singh from India received her doctoral degree from Seoul National University in 2007 and is now a professor in the Department of Oriental Languages at New Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru University. Rura ni Adinda, who is from Indonesia and received her master’s degree from Seoul National University in 2001, has become a professor in the Department of Koreanology at Indonesia National University. Nguyen Thi Ban Huong Sen, from Vietnam, received his master’s degree from Seoul National University in 2007, and is now a professor in the Department of Koreanology at Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Furthermore, in 1991, when few foreigners came to receive degrees from Seoul National University, Kaputu Mudipanu from Congo earned his degree from the Department of Education and returned to his homeland to become a professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Kinshasa.

It is now evident and well-documented that those who have studied at Seoul National University are not only showing their academic talent as professors but also taking charge of major roles in various universities.
껍끈 마위앙, who received his master’s degree from SNU in 2000, is now holding the position of vice dean of the College of Humanities at Thailand Mahasarakham University. Also, two professors in the Department of Koreanology, Sitthinee Thammachai, who received master’s degree in 2001 from Seoul National University from Thailand Srinakharinwirot University and Goksel Turkozu from Turkey Kayseri Erciyes University are also now in charge of dean.

The College of Business Administration at Seoul National University is no exception. Many foreigners from China, Japan, and Australia majoring in international management have received degrees from Seoul National University. They have successfully been offered positions as professors at universities in their native countries. Xiyou He, who came from China and graduated in 2003, was appointed as a professor in the Department of Economics at Fudan University. In addition, Cui Qiang, who graduated in 2004, became a professor in the Department of Economics Management at South-Central University for Nationalities. Similarly, Ando Naoki from Japan was offered a position at Nagasaki University and Pattnaik Chinmay from Australia has been appointed to a position at the University of Sydney.

Such trends can be also found in the College of Engineering of Seoul National University. Nurilla Mahamatov from Uzbekistan, who studied in the interdisciplinary program of Techno-Economics and Policy and graduated in August 2007, succeeded in being appointed to a full-time lecturer position at Tashkent University of Information and Technology. During fall semester of 2007, 50 graduate students selected from 29 countries from Asia to Africa were enrolled in this program.

To attract exceptional foreign students from various countries, Seoul National University has taken an active approach, including the implementation of the ‘Graduate Scholarship for Excellent Foreign Students’ (GSFS) and ‘Silk Road Scholarship’.
During fall semester of 2007, 692 foreign graduate students were enrolled in Seoul National University, up markedly from 612 last year. Also, this year the number of foreigners who earned their master’s or doctoral degrees from Seoul National University surged, from 142 last year, to 164.

Nov. 22, 2007
SNU PR office