A Brief History of the Establishment of PUST
In March 2001, the Ministry of Education of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) authorized the establishment of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) by the Northeast Asia Foundation for Education and Culture (NAFEC), a South Korean non-profit organization. NAFEC previously established China’s first foreign university, the Yanbian University of Science and Technology (YUST), in Yanji City, a major Korean-Chinese population center, in Northeast China. Since its opening in 1992, YUST has grown rapidly to become one of the top 100 universities in China.
Due to YUST’s success, the DPRK requested in 2001 that Dr. James Chin-Kyung Kim, the founder of YUST, create a similar institution in the DPRK. The construction of the PUST buildings for Phase 1 was completed in 2010, and the university began classes in October 2010 with 50 graduate students.
When establishing PUST, the DPRK’s Ministry of Education agreed to the following requirements:
- To appoint Dr. James Chin-Kyung Kim, a U.S. citizen, as the founding president of PUST, thereby ensuring that all aspects of construction and operation are managed by independent outside organizations and individuals.
- To guarantee the use of the land upon which the university will be built (by decision of the Cabinet of the State Council).
PUST Timeline
| 2001/05 | PUST establishment agreement with Ministry of Education, DPRK |
| 2001/06 | Approval by Ministry of Unification, South Korea |
| 2001/09 | University design service contract with Jung-Lim Architecture, Inc. |
| 2002/06 | Groundbreaking ceremony in Pyongyang |
| 2002/11 | Consignment of construction equipment to Pyongyang |
| 2003/10 | Road construction |
| 2003/11 | First academic meeting (Yanji, China) |
| 2004/04 | Building construction commencement |
| 2004/12 | Completion of main administration building frame |
| 2005/02 | Second academic meeting (Yanji, China) |
| 2005/12 | Completion of 10 more building frames |
| 2005/12 | PUST Founding Committee Co-Chairmen Inauguration |
| 2006/01 | Third academic meeting (Pyongyang) |
| 2007/01 | Agreement for Digital Campus establishment |
| 2008/12 | Construction of 17 buildings completed 98% |
| 2009/09 | PUST Co-Operations President Inauguration & Grand Opening |
| 2010/04 | Fifth academic meeting (Yanji, China) |
| 2010/06 | First Graduate Students Admission |
| 2010/10 | Official opening |
| 2014/03 | Graduation of first 50 graduate students |
| 2014/11 | Graduation of the first 100 undergraduate students |
| 2015/03 | Graduation of 37 graduate students |
| 2015/04 | First 10 female students welcomed as undergraduate students |
| 2015/10 | First 3 Dental students began classes in Division of Medical Sciences (DMS) |
| 2016/02 | Two more Dental students began classes in DMS |
| 2016/03 | Graduation of 12 graduate students and the second set of undergraduate 100 students |