Swansea University Vice Chancellor Professor Richard Davies is one of the small delegation of senior figures from UK higher education taking part in the visit.  

Korea is a major economic power, home to major global companies such as Samsung and Hyundai.

‌The country is investing heavily in education.  Based on the latest figures from the OECD, in 2012 Korea spent £36 billion on research and development, maintaining its position as the fifth largest R&D investor in the world after the United States, China, Japan and Germany.

During their visit the team will be meeting senior figures from Korean education institutions, including:

• Education Research Industry Cluster at Ansan (ERICA)
• Hanyang University
• Natural Science Campus, Sungkyunkwan University (Suwon)

‌Professor Davies will also be addressing a conference of up to 4,000 delegates, highlighting Swansea’s achievements and exploring potential collaborations. 

Picture:  Swansea-Korea links: Sung-Yueng Ki, Swansea City midfielder, and captain of the South Korean national team, pictured at Swansea University during a training session for the Swans supervised by our sports science team, including Rachel Deere (l) and Craig Lewis (r).

Professor Davies said:

"We believe that ideas and people are no respecter of country boundaries, and we are building partnerships around the world to encourage staff and student mobility, joint research and curriculum development.

I am therefore delighted to be visiting Korea and look forward to developing and strengthening links between Swansea University and Korea’s impressive universities and industries.

It is fair to say that since Ki Su‌ng-Yueng began playing for Swansea City Football Club we are all very interested in Korea!  I am very pleased to be taking part in the visit, and to share my passion for the role that universities play in driving economic development, and knowledge economy growth."

Professor Davies is also visiting China, and will be taking the opportunity to bolster the University’s existing ties with institutions including:

• Wuxi Association of Science and Technology
• Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which is already collaborating with Swansea staff.
• Hohai University in Nanjing
• Chuzhou University

Picture: Professor Richard B Davies, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University, signing an agreement with Chinese representatives during a visit to the country.

Swansea University and China: existing links

•    Around 1400 Chinese students are currently enrolled at Swansea University
•    Swansea University Medical School recently opened a joint medical centre with Wuhan Union Hospital; this is one of China’s leading hospitals, set up in 1866 by Griffith John, a Swansea-born missionary
•    The Chinese national women’s rugby sevens team visited Swansea in May 2015, playing some games and training at our sports facilities
•    Swansea University now has an office in Beijing
•    Recent VIP Chinese visitors to Swansea University include a delegation led by the deputy mayor of Beijing