Zombie Universities and the Politics of Survival in South Korean Higher Education

Host Alex Usher speaks with Jisun Jung, Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong, about South Korea’s fast-moving higher education policy landscape amid a steep youth-population decline. They discuss the “Zombie University” law encouraging struggling private institutions to close voluntarily through compensation tied to selling assets, while public universities are pushed to merge into larger regional flagships. Jung assesses Korea’s rapid growth to 300,000 international students, warning that some regional institutions enroll students who primarily work. The conversation also covers the government’s “10 Seoul National Universities” regional investment strategy, the prolonged medical student strike triggered by a sudden plan to add 3,000 medical seats, the Yonsei AI-cheating scandal and uneven institutional responses, heavy national investment aimed at becoming a top-three AI power, and the small but concerning right-wing youth movement dubbed “Freedom University.”👉 Episode Links:WorldEd 2.31: Korean Higher EducationFocus Friday March 27: Industry-Institutional Partnerships