Kazakhstan Strengthens Cooperation with South Korean Universities

From cutting-edge medicine to space exploration, Kazakhstan and South Korea are taking their partnership to a new level. The prospects for cooperation were discussed during a working visit by Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek to Seoul, 24KZ reports.

Cooperation in higher education between Astana and Seoul has reached a new level. Over the past four years, branches of seven South Korean universities have been opened in Kazakhstan. Successful examples include the Woosong University campus in Turkistan, an artificial intelligence school at Korkyt Ata University established in partnership with SeoulTech, and a joint mechanical engineering program between Kostanay Regional University and Dong-Eui University. Medical educational institutions may now also open branches in Kazakhstan. Minister Sayasat Nurbek made such a proposal.

Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

– We have set ourselves the goal of bringing at least one leading South Korean medical university to Kazakhstan, and we are working toward it. At present, only the Nazarbayev University clinic successfully operates under the university-based clinic model. A decision has been made to transition our other five major medical universities to this model as well. However, we need a specific model, a concrete example, and we are now coordinating this issue with leading medical universities in South Korea.

Last year, around 15,000 Kazakhstanis traveled to South Korea for medical treatment. The opening of a Korean university clinic is expected to improve the quality of healthcare services in Kazakhstan. Kazakh doctors are already adopting the experience of such centers: two Kazakh physicians are currently undergoing training at the hospital affiliated with Seoul National University.

Azamat Kuttymurad, physician at the Almaty Oncology Center:

– Among the areas where I would highlight the expertise of our South Korean colleagues are contouring techniques, which are important nuances in our treatment and require greater precision. In addition, and most importantly, in my opinion, there is management and organizational expertise that allows specialists to work in a more coordinated way and distribute the workload more evenly and efficiently.

The two countries also have ambitious plans in high-tech industries. The Korean Institute of Rare Metals and the Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation at Satbayev University have agreed to establish a Korean-Kazakh Research Center for Rare Metals. In addition, plans are underway to build a major campus of South Korea's leading research university, KAIST, in the city of Alatau. As part of the development of the space sector, talks are also underway with Seoul National University and major company Hanwha on cooperation and the training of Kazakh specialists, including at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Authors: Vladislav Tsoy, Olga Lyan