The Kyungpook National University Alumni Association on Wednesday urged the government to "transparently disclose the specific evaluation criteria and selection process" after the university was excluded from the first round of institutions chosen under a government initiative informally known as the "create 10 Seoul National Universities" program.
In a statement released that day, the association said expanding educational, research and employment opportunities concentrated in the greater Seoul area to the regions, and building an ecosystem where local industries and talent grow together around key national universities, "is an indispensable national task." It added, however, that it "expresses deep regret over the selection results announced Tuesday and cannot help but question the criteria and principles used."
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education announced it had selected three universities — Pusan National University, Chonnam National University and Chungnam National University — as the first recipients under the program, with plans to invest about 70 billion won ($51.1 million) per university annually through 2030.
Citing indicators from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and Kyungpook National University's ties to regional industries, the association said the government owed a clear explanation of "what objective criteria and evaluation led to this outcome" if the university was to be excluded from the first round of support.
The association also said doubts must be addressed over whether regional balance had taken precedence over genuine competitiveness, noting that the three selected universities each came from one of the Yeongnam, Honam and Chungcheong regions.
It further demanded that "a policy launched to close the gap between the greater Seoul area and the rest of the country must not create new fiscal and research disparities among non-metropolitan universities," and called on the government to apply objective principles — educational and research capacity, linkage with regional growth engines, and the track record and feasibility of industry-academia cooperation — rather than regional or political considerations in future selections.
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