KUALA LUMPUR - South Korea will select three flagship national universities to be developed into hubs for strategic industries and artificial intelligence (AI).

The Ministry of Education said each institution will receive up to 100 billion won in additional funding over five years.

The funding forms part of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s “10 Seoul National Universities” initiative.

Officials described the package as an unprecedented level of support aimed at strengthening regional higher education.

The plan represents a scaled-back version of the original proposal, which had targeted all nine regional flagship national universities.

Authorities said the scope was narrowed to three institutions to deliver faster results with limited resources.

Choi Kyo-jin said the initiative aims to reduce disparities between capital and regional universities.

“Beyond narrowing the gap between universities in and outside the capital region, we will lay the groundwork for local talent to become a core driver of national growth,” he said.

The selected universities will establish “brand colleges” focused on key regional industries.

These include semiconductors, batteries, biotechnology and future mobility.

Programmes at undergraduate, graduate and research levels will be integrated under a unified framework.

Specialised convergence research institutes will also be set up to support collaboration with companies, government-funded research bodies and universities at home and abroad.

These centres will cover the full cycle from research and development to commercialisation.

Each university will also be designated as a regional hub for artificial intelligence education and research.

Dedicated organisations will be established under university leadership to oversee AI-related initiatives.

Interdisciplinary programmes will allow students from non-technical fields to combine their studies with AI applications.

Students in selected departments will receive extensive support, including tuition, living expenses and accommodation assistance.

Graduate students will be provided monthly stipends ranging from two million to three million won.

The number of beneficiaries is expected to reach around 1,500 annually.

The plan also allows researchers from industry and public institutes to hold concurrent academic positions.

Officials said research funding for faculty may be provided with exceptional flexibility to attract top-tier talent.

Concerns have been raised over fairness, as only three of the nine flagship universities will receive the full level of support.

The remaining six universities will each receive an additional 30 billion won.

The total budget for all nine institutions is set at 544.8 billion won.

Of this, 120 billion won will be allocated to a regional shared university programme.

The initiative will enable institutions within the same region to share facilities, research equipment and startup support systems.

The ministry said it will strengthen performance-based evaluations as funding increases.

Standards for faculty promotion and tenure will be raised to levels comparable with leading private universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Education spending per student at flagship national universities is set to reach 44 million won by 2030.

This would represent about 70 per cent of the level at Seoul National University.

The three universities are expected to be selected in the third quarter of the year.

Selection will follow the identification of regional strategic industries by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

Officials said criteria will be announced in the first half of the year, with regional balance expected to play a key role.

The government aims for the selected universities to rank among the global top 200 in their specialised fields by around 2030.

“This is not a retreat from the original plan.

“Through this policy, we aim to achieve balanced growth and enable regional talent and companies to drive local revitalization,” Choi said.