This undated file photo shows Kyung Hee University in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Education is pushing to enable a wider variety of convenience facilities such as screen golf and large cafes and restaurants to operate on university campuses, an official said Sunday.
Efforts are underway to expand the type of convenience facilities that can be installed on university campuses, adding that detailed plans will be released in the latter half of this year through consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the official told Yonhap News Agency.
Currently, the land ministry limits the type of convenience facilities to stores selling food, groceries, clothes or books, each with a floor space of less than 1,000 square meters, as well as restaurants, cafes, bakery shops and medical clinics with a floor space of up to 300 square meters, and theaters with a floor space of less than 500 square meters.
The education ministry plans to add screen golf and electric car charging stations with a floor space of more than 1,000 square meters, and large restaurants, cafes and bakery shops with a floor space of more than 300 square meters.
The move is aimed at helping local universities boost their incomes under difficult financial circumstances due to a decline in the number of students and a 14-year freeze on tuition.
However, even if the number of convenience facilities increases, chances are low for local universities to dramatically improve their financial soundness.
The nation’s 192 private four-year universities saw their incidental income reach 858 billion won (US$687 million) in 2021, which is equivalent to only 4.6 percent of their total income, according to the Korea Advancing Schools Foundation.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
