Strengthening Global Networks Through Visits to Key Partner Institutions and Development Cooperation Sites Ahead of YU’s 80th Anniversary

PSPS Alumni, Including a Deputy Director-General of Laos’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Directors at Bangladesh’s BARD, Playing Key Roles in Rural Development in Their Home Countries

Global Standing Affirmed by WURI Leadership Ranking No. 4 Worldwide and THE Impact Rankings No. 47 Worldwide in SDG 17

[July 22, 2026]

<An introduction to the achievements of YU’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul alumni working at the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), including policy reports>

 Ahead of its 80th anniversary, Yeungnam University (President CHOI Oe-chool) sent a delegation from the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS), comprising Director LEE Jeong-ju, Deputy Director YOON Seok-min, and Administrative Director LEE Jung-chun, to key development cooperation sites in Southeast and South Asia, where the delegation confirmed tangible results of the university’s global talent development programs. The PSPS delegation recently visited key partner institutions, including Laos’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the KOICA Laos Office, the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), and Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), further strengthening its international cooperation network and meeting with alumni who are playing leading roles in the development of their respective countries.

 The visit was organized to assess how PSPS’s founding mission and educational objective of “developing problem-solving talent to overcome poverty and promote shared development in developing countries,” which it has pursued over the past 15 years, are being realized in actual global development settings. It also served as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with local alumni networks and expand PSPS’s sustainable graduate-school operations and practical international cooperation model.

<Yeungnam University’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul discusses cooperation measures with the Department of Agricultural Promotion and Cooperatives of Laos’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment>

 The delegation first visited the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Laos, where it met with senior officials from the Department of Rural Development and Poverty Reduction and the Department of Agricultural Promotion and Cooperatives to discuss concrete cooperation measures for rural development and agricultural innovation. The two sides agreed to pursue multifaceted policy exchanges, including sharing Korea’s successful Saemaul Undong experience, strengthening the capacity of public officials, conducting joint research, and operating education and training programs. Notably, PSPS graduates are serving as key senior officials in the Department of Agricultural Promotion and Cooperatives, playing a vital bridging role in the formulation of national rural development policies. The delegation also visited the KOICA Laos Office to identify local development cooperation needs and explore the possibility of jointly developing new development cooperation projects by linking them with PSPS’s educational and research capabilities. Currently, Laotian alumni of PSPS are serving as key personnel in government agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as well as in the public sector.

<Yeungnam University’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul discusses cooperation measures with the Department of Rural Development and Poverty Reduction of Laos’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment>

 During its visit to BARD (Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development), a leading institution specializing in rural development in Bangladesh, the delegation agreed to further elevate the level of cooperation while automatically extending the existing memorandum of understanding. A large number of PSPS graduates currently hold senior positions at BARD, including Director-level posts. Drawing on the Saemaul Undong and regional development theories they learned in Korea, these alumni have continuously published research reports, academic papers, and professional books, taking the lead in improving the quality of Bangladesh’s rural development policies. During a meeting with the delegation, local alumni expressed their deep pride in being able to play a leading role in overcoming poverty and building a safer and happier society in their home country, thanks to the problem-solving capabilities they acquired at PSPS. The delegation then visited Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), where it met with President Dr. A K Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan, the Head of the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension, and seven faculty members, and agreed to further promote academic exchanges, including joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and international collaborative research.

<LEE Jeong-ju, Director of Yeungnam University’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul, discusses academic exchange with Dr. A K Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan, President of Bangladesh Agricultural University>

 These global educational achievements of PSPS have drawn further attention in conjunction with Yeungnam University’s recent results in global university rankings.In the WURI ranking for Visionary Leadership, YU rose from No. 35 worldwide in 2024 to No. 23 in 2025 and No. 4 in 2026, demonstrating that its achievements in developing global talent based on Saemaul Studies are being recognized internationally. YU also made its debut in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, entering the 101–200 global band overall. In particular, it ranked joint No. 47 worldwide in SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), earning recognition for its outstanding global partnership capabilities.

<Yeungnam University’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul discusses ODA projects, including the Saemaul Undong, with the KOICA Laos Office>

 President CHOI Oe-chool of Yeungnam University, who established the Saemaul Undong as “Saemaul Studies,” a normal science, currently serves as a development advisor to local governments in Cambodia and Ethiopia. He has also supported the establishment of country-specific academic departments based on Saemaul Studies at more than 20 universities around the world, including departments of Saemaul Studies, Saemaul Economics and Development, Saemaul Community Development, and Forest, Saemaul and Sustainable Development. In this way, YU’s international cooperation model is rapidly evolving beyond simple talent development into a practical model integrating education, research, and policy advisory services. PSPS’s international cooperation assets are also expected to become a key growth driver in YU’s long-term initiative to establish a global university ESG evaluation system.

<Encouraging the activities of the Laos Alumni Association of Yeungnam University’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul>

 LEE Jeong-ju, Director of PSPS and head of the delegation, said, “This visit was deeply meaningful, as we were able to see firsthand that the global leaders trained by our graduate school have grown into key figures leading national development in their respective countries through government, academia, and research.” He added, “Going forward, we will further develop into a global education and research institution that integrates education, research, and policy advisory services to contribute to solving common challenges facing the global community and to make a tangible contribution to sustainable development (SDGs) in developing countries.”

Established in 2011, Yeungnam University’s Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul has produced more than 1,000 global leaders from 81 countries over the past 15 years, including officials from eight international organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP). It has established itself as a leading global educational institution in Korea dedicated to overcoming global poverty and promoting shared prosperity for humanity.