Board selects mechanical engineering professor over policy-vote leader

President to be appointed by head of state; four-year term starts Feb. 1

Choe Haecheon, a chair professor at Seoul National University. [Yonhap]
Choe Haecheon, a chair professor at Seoul National University. [Yonhap]

Seoul National University selected Choe Haecheon, 64, a chair professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as the final candidate for the university's 29th president on Sunday.

The new president will be formally appointed by the president of South Korea upon the recommendation of the minister of education, with a four-year term beginning Feb. 1 next year. The selection marks the first time in 20 years that a Seoul National University president has come from the College of Engineering — the last was Lee Jang-moo, who served as the 24th president starting in 2006. Incumbent President Yoo Hong-lim was appointed as the 28th president in February 2023 and will serve until late January next year.

The university's board of directors held a meeting Sunday to select the new president and announced that it had chosen Choe through a vote.

Earlier, the university's presidential search committee had forwarded three candidates to the board: Choe, Kang Jun-ho, a professor in the College of Education, and Lee Jae-young, a professor in the College of Humanities. The board interviewed all three candidates that day before proceeding to a vote. The vote tally for each candidate was not disclosed.

Choe earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University and his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in the United States. He has been a professor at Seoul National University since 1993, serving as head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, vice president for research, and president of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was appointed a special chair professor in March this year.

Choe's key campaign pledges included raising 2 trillion won ($1.49 billion) in new funds over four years through initiatives such as the "SNU Mega Frontier Partners" program, tripling startup research grants for newly hired faculty, and introducing AI literacy education for all students. He also pledged to reform the presidential selection system and expand support for outstanding faculty across academic disciplines.

In a policy evaluation conducted among faculty and students, the results of which were announced Oct. 14, Choe ranked second with 125.15 points out of a possible 490, or 25.5 percent. Kang led the field with 169.25 points (34.5 percent), while Lee came third with 113.11 points (23.1 percent).

The outcome is considered a surprise, as the candidate who tops the policy evaluation has typically gone on to become the final pick.

The selection process was not without complications. The board's candidate interviews, originally scheduled for Oct. 27, were delayed after tips were received regarding some of the candidates, with the board citing the need for additional vetting as the reason for the postponement.


ikson@heraldcorp.com