SNU Professors and Generals of Korean Army
On February 4th, Seoul National University announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA). With the signing of the agreement, SNU President SUNG Nak-in and the ROKA Chief of Staff General JANG Jun-kyu shook hands to establish a cooperative relationship between the two parties.
SNU and ROKA share a common value in character education and their respective mottos, “educating good-hearted talent” and “cultivating principled service members,” address the importance of moral character. The MoU is a result of the two parties’ shared recognition of character cultivation.
The agreement is expected to work towards the development of character education programs and other education services for ROKA service members and SNU students. Specifically, the MoU focuses on establishing four programs. The two parties agreed upon the development of a character cultivation program, a cultural activities program, expanding the education program for officers and lastly, a foreign languages program for service members. The last program, in particular, aims to provide a learning platform for conscripted soldiers to improve upon their English skills. The program will provide free online access to preparation materials for SNU’s English proficiency test, TEPS. In addition, service members will receive a 40% discount on the examination fee for the TEPS speaking test. The foreign languages program is part of ROKA’s efforts to support conscripted soldiers on self-development for their future plans after discharge.
Through a combination of programs in character cultivation and education services, SNU and ROKA hope to develop students and soldiers into morally conscious individuals, prepared for their future endeavors.
SNU’s recent agreement with ROKA is the latest of many MoUs signed by President Sung. The university’s efforts to create mutually beneficial relationships with influential organizations have helped SNU to establish a more socially engaged profile.
Written by Yun Hwan Chae, SNU English Editor, yunhwanchae@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr