Seoul National University
Sinlim-dong, Kwanak-gu
Seoul 151
SOUTH KOREA
PHONE: 822-8771601 / 8770101
FAX: 822-8897489
www.snu.ac.kr

THE BOTTOM LINE

In February, South Korea announced that it had succeeded in cloning a cow, making the country the fifth in the world (along with Scotland, Japan, the United States and New Zealand) capable of animal replication. A second cloned calf was born earlier this month. Few were surprised that the researchers came from Seoul National University, alma mater of many of the nation's key government, business and scientific leaders. Seouldae, as the school is known, is regarded as a sure-fire route to success. "It does not matter what your major is," says one student. "What is important is that you are a graduate of Seouldae."

The university says it is in the business of fostering "creative and intellectual minds." Hence the emphasis on a liberal education. Nearly half of its 32,000 students are on scholarships from the government and the school's substantial endowments. Seouldae strives to recruit students across the country - youngsters such as Kim Jong Sup, who comes from a remote village in Cholla province. "I must work hard to repay my parents' generosity," Kim says of his entry to Seouldae.

These days, the university is also emphasizing post-graduate research. It is expected to be the first beneficiary of $1.2 billion in government grants for lab equipment and hiring foreign professors. "We plan to convert Seouldae into one of the best research-oriented universities in the world," says an official in its planning department. Soon to start: research in electron-probe x-ray and human genomics.

- By Laxmi Nakarmi