The Seoul Nationwide College campus entrance in Gwanak District, Seoul / Courtesy of Seoul Nationwide College
Martin Steinegger, a professor in Seoul Nationwide College’s Division of Organic Sciences
Even at Seoul Nationwide College (SNU) — extensively considered Korea’s prime postsecondary establishment — overseas professors say that globalization not often reaches the college ranks, regardless of the college’s broader push towards internationalization.
Whereas worldwide scholar recruitment is accelerating, efforts to draw, combine and assist overseas school lag far behind, with many pointing to entrenched “closed circles” as a significant barrier.
“The Korean system may be very network-driven, and if you’re not a part of the SNU alumni circle, you are typically excluded,” stated Martin Steinegger, a professor from Germany within the college’s division of organic sciences.
Uwe Fischer, an affiliate professor in Seoul Nationwide College’s Division of Physics and Astronomy at Seoul Nationwide College
For overseas school who’ve by no means studied or labored in Korea, that barrier may be steep.
“You begin with no community, and that makes it extraordinarily tough to even get your footing — as a result of who you recognize is essential for analysis success, grants, collaborations and all the pieces,” he added.
Sascha Trippe, a German professor in SNU’s Division of Physics and Astronomy, echoed that the overwhelming majority of SNU’s school continues to be Korean, and plenty of are both alumni or have beforehand labored within the college.
On this setting, key administrative processes, e-mail communications, school conferences and college governance stay overwhelmingly Korean, proscribing overseas professors from totally taking part locally or taking over management roles.
“I needed to affix a school hiring committee, however I used to be solely accepted as soon as and couldn’t proceed,” stated Uwe Fischer, a German affiliate professor in SNU’s Division of Physics and Astronomy.
He famous that committee conferences are performed completely in Korean, creating an setting through which overseas professors battle to interact in governance or contribute past analysis and instructing.
In comparison with universities in Europe, North America, Singapore or Hong Kong, SNU has very restricted school range. Most professors are Korean, and plenty of are alumni of SNU.
A report launched in July by the college’s range council discovered that, as of October 2024, 77.5 p.c of SNU’s Korean school members had been alumni of its personal undergraduate program.
The college has 118 full-time overseas professors as of this 12 months, representing lower than 5 p.c of the complete full-time school. Regardless of years of globalization efforts, that quantity has modified little since 2015, when there have been 104.
International professors famous that even amongst these counted as “worldwide” school, many have Korean ties, akin to being Korean American or having Korean mother and father or grandparents. Because of this, they estimate that the share of professors who’re actually non-Korean is nearer to 2 to 2.5 p.c.
They are saying the scenario differs by division, however openings for non-Korean school are largely frozen. A number of professors instructed The Korea Occasions that hiring committees nonetheless fill most positions with Korean candidates.
Sascha Trippe, a German professor in Seoul Nationwide College’s Division of Physics and Astronomy
“About 15 years in the past, there was a government-led program that gave universities extra assist to create professorships particularly for worldwide hires,” Trippe stated. “In my division, two positions had been added. However since then, the pattern has reversed, and people sorts of openings have largely disappeared.”
In such an setting, the shortage of systemic assist from the college makes it even more durable for overseas professors to settle and combine.
This 12 months, SNU elevated its worldwide affairs division to the higher-level Workplace of Worldwide Affairs (OIA). However there’s nonetheless no equal unit devoted to aiding or managing overseas school members.
“There may be no one for overseas professors,” Fischer stated. “If we have now proposals or want administrative assist, we are able to solely elevate it on the division degree — and there’s no assure it is going to ever be addressed or resolved on the college degree.”
John DiMoia, an American professor in Seoul Nationwide College’s Division of Korean Historical past
John DiMoia, an American professor in SNU’s Division of Korean Historical past, identified that what overseas teachers want isn’t mere translation, however assist in navigating Korean institutional tradition.
“The principle difficulty is that the system assumes everybody — even those that will not be Korean — will assume and function like a Korean,” he stated.
He recalled an expertise whereas signing his contract, when the college requested him to submit fingerprints for a police background test — one thing directors considered as routine paperwork for an official process, however a startling request to him.
“For me, fingerprinting is related to prison processing and a violation of privateness,” DiMoia stated. “It was unusual, and it might have helped to have extra rationalization to grasp the context.”
Housing issues add one other main hurdle to the long-term keep of overseas professors.
The excessive deposits required for long-term leases, coupled with restricted entry to loans and the unfamiliar jeonse system, make securing steady lodging extraordinarily tough. Distinctive to Korea, the jeonse system is a rental association the place a tenant pays a big lump-sum deposit to a landlord in lieu of month-to-month hire.
“It means locking up most of your financial savings in a system you don’t perceive — a contract written in Korean, with a landlord you’ve by no means met. It looks like taking an enormous danger,” Fischer stated.
SNU does present school housing, which helps newcomers initially. However professors can solely use these lodging for a most of seven years. The college stated it has no plans to develop or add extra school residences.
“Latest coverage adjustments proscribing property purchases by foreigners have made issues even worse, creating extra uncertainty about long-term settlement,” Steinegger stated.
“Having a devoted college physique — or perhaps a particular individual — to assist with these administrative duties from the beginning would make settling in a lot simpler,” he added.
SNU officers instructed The Korea Occasions that though there isn’t a devoted physique for overseas school, the OIA supplies numerous assist packages to assist overseas professors settle and alter to life on campus.
