UPV and GNU sign academic cooperation
“To develop academic and educational cooperation and promote undertaking between the Philippines and Korea” is the stipulation at the beginning of the Agreement on Academic Cooperation (ACC) signed by UP Visayas with Gyeongsang National University (GNU) of Korea on March 22, 2010 at the UPV Miagao campus.
Dr. Woo-Song Ha, President of GNU, signed the contract in Korea. Dr. Kil-Young Sung, Dean of the College of Marine Sciences, GNU, and Dr. Byeong-Dae Choi, Director of the Institute of Marine Industry of the same College, brought the signed contract to UPV Miagao for UPV Chancellor Minda J. Formacion to sign. The two served as witnesses for GNU while Dr. Leonor Santos, UPV Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, signed as witness for UPV.
The AAC will run for five years and hopes to develop collaborative activities in “academic areas that are of mutual interest” for both institutions “on the basis of equality and reciprocity.”
Specifically, the ACC will have an exchange of faculty, researchers, and other research and administrative staff, an exchange of students for academic work and field training, the conduct of collaborative research projects, exchange of information and materials, conduct of lectures and symposia, and promotion of other academic cooperation.
In a surprising disclosure, Dr. Byeong-Dae Choi, revealed personal reasons as to why he has been interested in pursuing academic cooperation with the Philippines.
“It is out of a deep sense of gratitude. My father fought in the Korean War with Filipino soldiers. Had it not been for them, I might not be standing here now,” he added.
Learning the English language remains a top priority for Koreans, according to him. He emphasized that acquiring the skills to speak the language will open the minds of his countrymen to the world and the international community. (Lyncen M. Fernandez/ UPV)
