Academics and Personnel
Q: What are the qualifications of the faculty and staff?
A: Either a Doctoral Degree (PhD) or a Masters Degree (MS) in a related field is required for the faculty. Additional experience, academic experience in particular, would be an added asset. In the absence of a Doctoral Degree, you may be qualified contingent upon the evaluation of expertise and experience in your specified field.
Q: What are the available living arrangements for the staff and faculty?
A: There are three faculty dormitories. These buildings are on-campus, and the accommodations are similar to that of the rest of the school. Electricity, running water, and other conveniences are available in order to maximize the comfort levels of everyday living for the faculty. An elementary school for the children of foreign faculty is in the early planning stages and is starting with a kindergarten, which opened in March 2016.
Q: How big is PUST in terms of students, faculty members, and staff?
A: PUST currently has 500 undergraduate students and 60 graduate students, including 5 students studying Dentistry as part of the Division of Medical Sciences. Approximately 100 international volunteers live on campus as either faculty, staff, or family of faculty and staff, and about 200 local Korean faculty and staff work at PUST.
Q: Can a professor, researcher, or other professional who is presently employed at another institution also participate in the work at PUST?
A: Adjunct professorships are available for current educators to teach on their sabbatical or vacation. Those with practical experience in related fields are also sought after as they serve as indispensable human resources at our research centers. Courses can be designed in length and concentration to accommodate your availability.
Q: Can non-DPRK citizens study at PUST as exchange students or students of any kind?
A: No. PUST serves the people of the DPRK and is currently not able to accept non-DPRK citizens as students, including exchange students from other countries. However, we are able to send our graduate students abroad to Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Brazil and many other countries.
Purpose and Significance of PUST
Q: Are there any problems concerning the current relationships with PUST and the international community, including the U.S.?
A: Although the DPRK has at times received international assistance for economic development, that development still has not become a reality. Thus, it is hoped that ultimately the graduates of PUST will help to lead the next generations in the DPRK so that partnerships with foreign corporations will help to ensure economic development. The fact that PUST is a purely educational venture that seeks to educate young DPR-Koreans with the hopes that this will bring forth peaceful globalization of the DPRK has been communicated with the international community.
Q: How will PUST aid the people of the DPRK in practical terms?
A: The fields of study offered to young men and women of the DPRK at PUST are not leading edge technology which can result in international tension, but the practical and applicable skills of improving the day-to-day lives of the Korean people. The areas are: ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering), IFM (International Finance and Management), ALS (Agriculture and Life Sciences), FLS (School of Foreign Languages) and DMS (Division of Medical Sciences). The ultimate goal of all these fields is to assist the DPRK to build sound foundations for their economic independence and to facilitate global partnerships.
Sanctions and International Relationships
Q: Does PUST follow international sanctions?
A: PUST legally operates both from a DPRK legal standpoint and from an international standpoint, including U.S. sanctions. Supporting PUST does not violate these sanctions.
Q: Does PUST teach computer hacking?
A: No. The courses taught at PUST are required courses to be taught at other universities in the DPRK offering the same majors. The difference is that at PUST, these required courses are taught by international faculty, who can give an international perspective, both ethically and technically.
General Perspective
Q: What is the relationship between PUST and YUST?
A: While there is no legal partnership between Yanbian University of Science and Technology (YUST) located in Yanji, China and PUST, YUST has and will continue to serve as a base model for PUST. The foundation of PUST was inspired the experience of YUST. There is a mutual exchange of information with YUST as a sister university.
Q: What are the general terms of the agreement with the DPRK in regard to the establishment of PUST?
A: Northeast Asia Foundation for Education & Culture (Representative, Chin-Kyung Kim) and the DPRK Department of Education signed a contract regarding the establishment of the school. The DPRK agreed to provide the land and make allowances for the construction and administration while NAFEC agreed to provide the funds and personnel. The authorization for personnel selection of foreign specialists and experts and the administration staff, as well as the direction of the construction process, was granted to Dr. Chin-Kyung Kim, Founding President of PUST. The agreement concerning the partnership regarding the daily operations of the school will last for 50 years after which the agreement can be extended.