On June 12, a delegation from Kookmin University (South Korea) visited Riga Technical University (RTU) to discuss future cooperation opportunities. The delegation met with international cooperation experts; visited RTU campus in Ķīpsala, as well as met with representatives of several faculties and structural units.
The delegation was led by Professor of the College of Automotive Engineering at Kookmin University Hong Yae Yim. Among the members of the delegation were also Professor of the School of Computer Science Minsuk Lee, Professors of the Institute of Science and Technology Sucbei Moon and Young-Rag Do, Professor of the Department of Creative Engineering Si-Hyung Lim, as well as Professor of the College of Automotive Engineering Jong-Chan Kim.
RTU Deputy Rector for International Academic Cooperation and Studies, Professor Igors Tipāns started the meeting by outlining RTU activities, devoting special attention to the areas of research. Afterwards delegates of South Korea introduced their university.
Professor Hong Yae Yim said that this was their first visit to the Eastern European country, and in an effort to explore possible cooperation, the delegation consisted of representatives of various fields. When the Professor was asked about more specific forms of cooperation, he mentioned opportunities of student exchange programmes. Kookmin University has different government funded scholarships for foreign master and doctoral students for their studies and research in different fields of studies. Providing the possibility for RTU students to apply for one of the scholarships could result in establishing cooperation between Kookmin University and RTU. Another opportunity for students is to attend one of the summer schools and summer universities. Kookmin University, likewise RTU, cooperates with the industry, including the world-known companies, such as Samsung, LG, etc. RTU students would be very interested in study and research mobility opportunities.
Kookmin University was established in 1946; at present there are 18,000 students, 15,000 of them are studying at undergraduate programmes. The University implements technical and engineering study programmes, as well as programmes in social sciences and humanities. The most popular areas of research at Kookmin University are the following: design, automotive engineering, nanotechnology, electrical engineering, and programming.
Igors Tipāns emphasized that RTU is interested in strengthening cooperation with universities of South Korea because this country is a global leader in engineering technologies. Recent experience shows that interest of RTU students in Asian universities has increased. Five years ago the most frequent destination for exchange studies was Western European universities.
The representative of King Sejong Institute Riga Jong Soo Kang also attended the meeting and informed about the Institute’s activities. The aim of the Institute is to promote cooperation in culture, education and science between the Republic of Korea and other countries, as well as to introduce residents of Latvia to Korean language and culture. The Institute provides RTU students and other people with the opportunity to study the Korean language. 70 people have already attended the Korean language course.
King Sejong Institute Riga was established on 21 September 2016. RTU has been chosen as the location of the Institute as it has a long-standing academic and scientific cooperation with a number of South Korean universities. Students are interested in Korean achievements in the field of technology, which are the result of a high level of engineering education. Korean language skills, knowledge of Korean culture and their capacity for work will promote future cooperation.
After the first meeting, the delegation went to Ķīpsala where they visited RTU Design Factory, Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications, Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry, as well as RTU Laboratory Building.
