Chungbuk National University Faces Scrutiny Over Incentives Paid From Glocal Funding
A lawmaker has raised questions over 590 million won in incentive payments at Chungbuk National University after the institution received the lowest grade twice in a government-backed regional university program.
Chungbuk National University is facing scrutiny over incentive payments made from a government-backed regional university program after receiving the lowest performance grade for two consecutive years.
Rep. Park Jeong-hoon of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Education Committee, said Saturday that the university paid a combined 590 million won in incentives through the Glocal University program. According to figures presented by Park, 194 people received payments in 2025 and 97 received them in 2026.
The lawmaker also said former university president Go Chang-seob received an incentive after returning to a faculty position two months after stepping down. Go had left the presidency following the failure of a planned integration between Chungbuk National University and Korea National University of Transportation. The proposed merger had been a central condition of the institutions’ participation in the government program.
Questions have also been raised about how the incentive decisions were made. Park said senior officials, including personnel in planning posts, took part in deliberations over the payments even though a number of those involved were themselves eligible to receive incentives. He argued that compensation for staff who contributed to a project may be appropriate, but said it should be based on objective assessments, reasonable standards and a fair decision-making process.
The Glocal University initiative is intended to select 30 universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area by 2027 and support new models for institutional innovation and regional development. Selected institutions can receive up to 100 billion won over five years.
Chungbuk National University and Korea National University of Transportation were selected on the understanding that they would pursue a full institutional merger. However, the two universities received a D grade, the lowest level, in two successive performance reviews because of insufficient progress on integration. Their designation was subsequently canceled after the merger effort failed.
The collapse of the plan is expected to trigger procedures to recover government funds provided for the project since 2023. Park also questioned the transparency of budget allocations under Chungbuk National University’s World Class Specialized Department project and expressed concern that existing rules allow discretion, rather than requiring recovery, when Glocal University funds are poorly administered.
The dispute puts a broader focus on accountability in a program that links large public subsidies to institutional reform. It also raises questions about whether internal incentive systems sufficiently reflect program outcomes and guard against conflicts of interest.