Korea University of Energy and Technology Opens... "Aiming to Become a Top 10 Global University by 2050"

The 1st Freshman Entrance Ceremony Held... 108 Undergraduates Attend
828.9 Billion KRW Investment by 2025... Phased Completion of Research Buildings, etc.

A bird's-eye view of Korea Energy Polytechnic University.
[Photo by Korea Energy Polytechnic University website capture]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] Korea Energy Technology University (KENTECH), a presidential campaign promise of President Moon Jae-in, has officially opened.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 2nd that Korea Energy Technology University held its first freshman entrance ceremony. The ceremony, held at the KENTECH campus in Naju, Jeollanam-do, was attended by 108 undergraduate freshmen, 49 graduate students, as well as Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Seung-wook, Chairman of the National Balanced Development Committee Kim Sa-yeol, and President of Korea Electric Power Corporation Jeong Seung-il.

KENTECH is the world’s first energy-specialized university. It is also a small but strong university with 400 undergraduates and 600 graduate students. The establishment was promoted as a presidential campaign pledge by President Moon in 2017. It was included in the five-year national administration plan that same year, and after site selection in 2019 and the National Balanced Development Committee’s approval of the ‘Basic Plan for Establishing KENTECH,’ it officially opened on this day. Earlier, the regular admission competition rate for recruiting 10 freshmen reached 95.3:1, attracting attention. The early admission competition rate for recruiting 100 freshmen recorded 24.1:1.

In a video congratulatory message, President Moon emphasized the significance of KENTECH in carbon neutrality. He said, “KENTECH will be the foundation for South Korea to newly leap forward as a future energy powerhouse in preparation for carbon neutrality,” and added, “As a symbol of innovation and balanced development in the Jeonnam and Gwangju regions, please contribute to realizing a global energy hub through industry-academia-research cooperation.”

The government also announced plans to develop KENTECH into one of the world’s top 10 engineering universities in the energy sector by 2050. To this end, 828.9 billion KRW will be invested in KENTECH by 2025. The government has already invested about 150 billion KRW by last year. Currently, construction of the main building and data center, which are part of the first phase plan, is underway. Dormitories, research and lecture buildings, and the student union building will be completed step-by-step by 2025. Currently, 48 faculty members have been appointed, with plans to increase to 100 by 2025.

On the same day, KENTECH President Yoon Ui-jun also held a vision declaration ceremony. According to the vision announced by President Yoon, KENTECH will focus research on five promising fields: energy artificial intelligence (AI), new energy materials, hydrogen energy, next-generation grids, and environmental climate technology. President Yoon said, “The ideal talent of KENTECH is characterized by outstanding research capabilities, entrepreneurial spirit, and global citizenship,” and added, “The freshmen, who will be the beginning of history, should grow into global energy leaders.”

Meanwhile, at the entrance ceremony, 14 individuals who contributed to the establishment of KENTECH received presidential citations, prime ministerial citations, and ministerial citations from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.