Park Soon-ae Draws a Line on 'Tuition Fees' and Emphasizes 'Deregulation of Higher Education'

Possibility of Postponement for Easing Criteria Linked to National Scholarship II Increases
Expansion of Semiconductor Talent Quotas Sparks Opposition from Regional Universities

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae clearly drew a line against raising university tuition fees and announced plans to comprehensively review regulations related to universities.

After her inauguration ceremony on the 5th, Minister Park met with the press corps and said, "Prices are rising too much, so even if there was a pledge to ease tuition regulations, we need to allow some leeway in implementation. There will be no immediate tuition increase." This statement effectively overturned Vice Minister Jang Sang-yoon’s remarks last month at an event with university presidents, where he said, "There is consensus within the government on raising tuition fees, and a conclusion will be reached soon."

The Ministry of Education had initially planned to abolish the tuition freeze condition linked to Type II National Scholarships in the first half of next year and to relax the requirements for maintaining and expanding on-campus scholarships in 2024. Although university tuition fees can be increased up to 1.5 times the inflation rate over the past three years, the government has been encouraging freezes or reductions by linking support to Type II National Scholarships. However, due to inflation and public opinion, the plan itself is likely to be postponed.

As negative public sentiment regarding the easing of tuition regulations spread, an alternative solution of "financial support" was proposed. Minister Park said, "I believe we should not impose excessive burdens on private universities, and we will soon announce a roadmap related to financial support plans."

Signs of opposition from regional universities have already emerged regarding the soon-to-be-announced "Semiconductor Talent Development Plan." The Regional University Presidents’ Council changed its schedule from holding a press conference on the 6th to participating in a meeting with Minister Park on the 8th. The Ministry of Education hastily arranged this meeting to prevent university presidents from voicing opposition immediately after her inauguration. It is known that the Ministry is considering increasing semiconductor major quotas in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas by utilizing previously reduced quotas and providing financial support.

Minister Park said, "In the metropolitan area, there have been discussions about quotas for semiconductor personnel, while regional universities are concerned about regional extinction. We have sought policy advice from experts on ways to catch both rabbits." She added, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has the idea of creating a virtuous cycle where regions coexist and prosper, centered on education, rather than regional extinction." Although Minister Park emphasized that she studied current issues for 40 days after her appointment and gave considerable thought to policies, she did not present clear alternatives regarding regional universities.

In her inaugural speech, Minister Park likened university regulations to "sandbags," emphasizing education reform and deregulation. She stated, "Universities are the core starting point of 'education reform,' and we will comprehensively review existing systems and regulations from university operations to academic affairs, quota management, finances, and evaluations." Regarding the distribution of local education finance grants, she said, "We are considering ways to efficiently use resources for higher education and other necessary areas while maintaining the grant ratio."

Appointed without a confirmation hearing, Minister Park will undergo personnel verification by the Education Committee after the National Assembly’s organization is finalized. Regarding the incident in 2001 when she was caught driving under the influence (blood alcohol concentration 0.251%) and received a suspended sentence, she said, "I deeply reflect on the mistake I made 20 years ago. I understand that I have not met many people’s expectations." She added, "Contrary to misunderstandings in society, I never hired a lawyer," and said, "I believe the special pardon for drunk driving before the trial influenced the judge. I apologize."

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