"K-Universities Go Global"... Discussing Strategies for Exporting Korean Higher Education

National Conference of University International Affairs Directors to Be Held on April 8-9
Discussion on Institutional Reforms for "Franchise Operations"
Including Domestic Curricula at Overseas Universities

The government has begun discussions on institutional reforms to promote Korean universities' expansion overseas.

On April 6, the Ministry of Education announced that it would hold a national conference of university international affairs directors on April 8 and 9 at Kyonggi University's Seoul campus, seeking ways to facilitate the overseas expansion of "K-Higher Education." This move comes in response to the growing international interest in Korean education and universities, making it necessary to improve related systems.

Until now, the Ministry of Education has eased regulations regarding the franchise model, in which domestic universities transfer and operate their curricula at overseas partner institutions to support universities' overseas expansion. Previously, universities had to obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Education to operate a franchise. However, following the amendment of the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act in February 2024, universities can now proceed based solely on inter-university agreements. Each university can autonomously determine the structure of its curriculum and course operations through its own academic regulations, strengthening the momentum for franchise operations.

At this conference, the main focus will be on discussing constraints to overseas expansion, such as franchise operations, including ▲governance structure, ▲accounting, and ▲faculty dispatch issues.

In particular, the discussion will center on practical issues faced by universities, such as transferring funds abroad during overseas expansion or establishing accounting standards to repatriate locally generated revenue to the home campus.

The Ministry of Education plans to use this conference as a starting point to identify institutional gaps experienced in the field and to continue discussions on phased institutional reforms, ranging from franchises to branch campuses, to support various forms of overseas expansion.

Ha Yu-kyung, Director of International Education Planning at the Ministry of Education, stated, "This conference marks the starting point for concrete institutional reforms to promote the overseas expansion of K-Higher Education, reflecting the voices of university stakeholders. Going forward, we will steadily refine legal and institutional frameworks so that aspiring universities can leverage their unique strengths to take on the challenge of global expansion."

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