Jeonbuk National University

Jeonju, South Korea, has been recognized by CNN and the global travel magazine “Lonely Planet” as one of the top three tourist attractions in Asia. Jeonbuk National University, established in 1947 and with a  history of over 70 years, is Jeonju’s premier university.

With campuses in the surrounding areas of Iksan, Gunsan-Semangeum, Gochang, Jeongeup, and Wanju, Jeonbuk National University operates 15 colleges, including colleges of Engineering, Agricultural Life Science, Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Natural Science. Active research is being conducted in 12 graduate schools, including 2 specialized graduate schools. The university has 1,023 full-time professors, 900 staff, and 22,000 students were enrolled in 2019.

Jeonbuk National University’s goal is to be a "rewarding university and close companion". A “rewarding university” is one that provides a consistently high quality learning environment by improving its programs, attracting outstanding students and strengthening the competitiveness of its education and research. By “close companion” we mean that the university and the community collaborate together on the basis of principles such as decentralization, empathy, and fusion, thus laying the foundations for our next 100 years together.

Jeonbuk National University, which has solidified its position as a prestigious international university through constant change and innovation, now also looks to become “The Best Glocal University” by taking a leading role in the development of Jeonju and the Jeollabukdo region.

Active industry-university cooperation based on world-class research competitiveness

Professor Joong-Hee Lee of BIN Fusion Tech is a global authority on carbon materials research. His ultra-light carbon composite hydrogen fuel tank is 60 percent lighter than a comparable metal tank. In addition, it has greatly improved efficiency, stability, and has double the life span of similar tanks. The tank, which does not explode even in the face of a major external shocks, has been installed in Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel cell cars.

Professor Kitae Baek succeeded in developing and commercializing the fundamental and practical technologies of the new protocol for cleaning up heavy-metals contaminated sites. He has published 150 SCI-level papers. Since 2005, he has published the most SCI-level papers on electrokinetic remediation in the world. He is also well-known for practical research, and more than 9 patents based on his work have been transferred to industry for commercialization.

In cooperation with the government's ‘New Renewable Energy 3020’ initiative, by which Korea plans to increase its proportion of renewable energy generation to 20% by 2030, Jeonbuk National University is now conducting a large-scale project involving government agencies, universities, research institutions, local governments, and domestic and overseas companies.

For its part, Jeonbuk National University has agreed to create a maritime solar demonstration complex in the Semangeum region, which is the location of the world’s largest reclamation project conducted with the partnership of the Solar Business Club and the Segi Environment Co. Ltd..

World-class research infrastructure: the source of our competitiveness

Due to its advanced research infrastructure and capabilities, Jeonbuk National University receives inquiries from developed and developing countries on topics ranging from joint research proposals to technology transfer.

Jeonbuk National University established the first high-temperature plasma application research center in South Korea and the fifth such center in the world. Here, researchers use plasma, called the fourth material, to study spacecraft materials that can withstand ultra-high temperatures. For this purpose, Jeonbuk National University has invested nearly 40 billion won for the construction of a 2.4 megawatt-class plasma generator that can replicate extreme environments similar to those that spacecraft experience on their approach and reentry to Earth. Using this generator, Jeonbuk National University scientists have developed the world's first carbon composite super-high temperature ceramic coating technology. Jeonuk National University also has the world's third-largest synthesis capacity for boron nitride nanotubes, which have received high marks from researchers as an innovative basis for research into electrical and electronic equipment in space. Since 2017, we have led research on ultra-high temperature spacecraft material development, one of the core projects of Korea’s space development project.

Our Agricultural Life Science research infrastructure is also world-class. The Agricultural and Livestock Microbiology Industry Development Support Center, where 16 billion won was invested, opened in September 2017. It plays a critical role as the national control center for the Korean agricultural and livestock microbial industry. Here, the construction of human and material networks within and between microbiology-related industries and institutions, microbial product research, support for industrialization of private companies, and the training of specialized human resources all serve as the main missions of the center.

Jeonbuk National University’s competitiveness among Korean and world universities

Through these achievements and others, Jeonbuk National University is competing with universities within Korea and around the world. In the world university evaluations conducted by Times Higher Education (THE), from 2015 the university has established itself in the 1st or 2nd place spots among the 9 Korean national universities.

According to the QS world university evaluation, we have maintained second place among national universities for the seventh consecutive year from 2013 to 2019. In Reuters Asia's Innovative University Evaluation in 2018, Leiden ranking (the ratio of the top 10% of citations), one of the qualitative scales of professors and other national universities, we have also been ranked first among national universities consecutively in South Korea since 2016.

However, we are not satisfied with only this, and so we have been developing combined human resources under our mission of becoming a Best Glocal University that leads both our region and the world, and a university that contributes to our region and the world by enhancing research. In the field of education, Jeonbuk National University has established the Asian University Education Association (AUEA) and a joint degree system has been put in place in order to provide education tailored to individual characteristics, and to implement practical capacity and Glocal education. In the research field, we support challenging research and provide intensive support for future new technology development and multidisciplinary research. Through industry-education cooperation, we seek to solve problems in local communities, lead local industries and cultures, and expand global partnerships.