One of South Korea’s oldest and most renowned higher education institutions, the Korea University is located in Seoul. It is a private research facility with more than 30,000 students and offers a diverse range of academic programs from its more than 80 departments.
Korea University comprises Colleges of Information and Communications, International Studies, Medicine, Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Education, Engineering and Nursing. It also has schools of Business, Media and Communication, Art and Design, and Interdisciplinary Studies, with its Law School renowned as the best in the country. The Korean Language and Culture Center and Research Institute for Korean Studies continue the university’s nationalistic traditions, while the University Museum is the first of its kind in Korea, with exhibits ranging from Korean antiquities and arts to ethnological studies. The main Anam campus is situated to the north-east of Seoul’s city centre and divided into four sections, Science and Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Medicine and Life Sciences, and Health Sciences. Korea University’s Tiger Dome functions as a multi-purpose sporting complex covering six floors, while an Olympic-sized ice skating rink is used as a training base for national athletes. CJ International House provides dormitory facilities for the university’s growing number of international exchange students, as well as visiting professors and scholars who contribute to its intercultural programs.
Korea University is served by its own subway station which links the campus to the city centre and Greater Seoul region. Public buses also service the streets surrounding the campus, and it’s within easy walking distance of numerous bars, cafes and restaurants catering to the large student population.
The university was first established in 1905 as Bosung College and hailed as an institution of nationalistic origin and pride during Japanese colonial rule. Following independence, Bosung College was elevated to the status of a university and initially comprised colleges of Political Science and Law, Economics and Commerce, and Liberal Arts.