▲ Jeonju University LINC+ / Director Song Joo

Jeonju University was founded in 1964 based on Christianity. Marking 56th this year, 10,000 students are studying hard in 10 colleges to accomplish their missions. At the national academic review held in 2015, Jeonju University topped A in the first phase and was appointed as the best autonomous betterment university in the second phase. 

The university ranked the No.1 private university in South Jeolla Province with the No.9 nationwide in 2015 and 2016 by the JoongAng Ilbo. Between 2014 and 2019, the university ranked the No.1 in application rate among four-year colleges nationwide. It was also listed in the top 10 of the 4th industrial revolution leader universities in 2018. The departments of Korean cuisine, hotel management and industrial design have earned credits for global level academic competitiveness.

In 2001, the university obtained the government’s technical innovation center project and in 2004 listed its name in HUNIC 1 and 2 followed by LINC+ 1 and 2. Director Song Joo of the Jeonju University LINC+ in particular achieved the best LINC+ in the region for two years in a row. 

 

Trade Consulting

The university has been using the most of the regional advantages of rich culture and agricultural products and pushing forward opening channels to overseas market by running global footholds in London UK, Warsaw Poland, Istanbul Turkey and Bishkek Kazakhstan. Numerous trade consulting for students have been organized and the university led 30 SMEs to a Europe-CIS trade consulting held in Bishkek by the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association and drew 3 million USD worth deals as a result. 

This November, the university is set to hold an untact trade consulting by inviting 200 companies in North Jeolla Province and around 800 products are to be introduced to buyers in Europe and the CIS. Also scheduled is the North Jeolla Province-World OKTA Europe-CIS Food Trade Consulting held in cooperation with the Jeonbuk Institute for Food-Bioindustry. 

The university launched the Jeonbuk SMEs and Venture Leaders Forum which will foster leaders of the 4th industrial revolution among regional companies. The third phase programs already cultivated 50 leaders and the fourth phase is set to start on October 13. 

 

Drone Football

Meanwhile, Jeonju University LINC+ director Joo took the steering wheel of the Korea Universities Drone Sports Association. Drone industry is booming in China with advantages of cheap cost and simple making and the association worries whether South Korea might be left behind in the field if nothing is done. Joo pointed out that domestic companies are sticking to development of applications rather than of technology.

The university has paid attention to Jeonju City which invented drone football and has joined hands to run the game jointly. Joo developed his idea from children who often were the winners in the game and thought of introducing a drone sports for university students to stimulate motivation. Establishing the association was the very result of this and 36 LINC+ universities currently are the members. The 1st Korea Universities Drone Football alongside the Drone Clash Campus League is set to take place late this year and the semi-final and the final will be held at the 2020 Industry-University Expo.

 

HATCH

HATCH is an educational platform introduced by the LINC+. HATCH focuses on innovation in method and environment and on promoting living lab and flipped learning as a new educational culture. Joo points out the current educational trend in advanced countries tells us that lectures in a big classroom are disappearing to team based and students are using the most of online materials for self-directed learning, adding that, online classrooms in fact is not an alternative teachers and students must do during the virus spread but it has already been taking over the traditional way of teaching and learning. Accordingly, the LINC+ is working to introduce new concept open lecture spaces and HATCH lounges to all colleges within the year. The lobby of the library, as a result, is to be remodeled as a HATCH lounge where students read books, discuss what they have read and search materials online.

 

Joo

Joo went to Pasadena, California, US in 1985 and studied car design at Art Center College of Design. Back in Korea in 1991, he ran a car design firm and served the head of Innodesign Korea before moving to Jeonju University in 2005 and opened department of industrial design. Joo secured 1 billion won (861,000 USD) government subsidy for three years with his credit for tradition-based industrial design major. Proving his capability, Joo moved to LINC+ alongside taking steering wheel of the Korea Universitites Drone Sports Association. Believing designers no longer belong to firms, Joo made a design cooperative to give more freedom, creativity and attention to detail to designers. In the same respect, Joo encourages students to run their own business rather than to bind themselves to a firm.

He engaged in numerous design projects including interiors of Genesis and KIA K9, NEFS’ kitchen concept for Korean cuisine, and NOROO Paints’ traditional color finding project. He listed his name in the 2018 K-Wave Awards rewarded by the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. 

권동호 기자  dongho2010@naver.com