On January 17th, President Chang of Handong Global University (HGU) visited University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) to discuss various exchange and cooperation measures between the two countries. (Photo 1 ~ 2) With Vincent Malibe’s presidency and the MOU between the two universities sharing common ground, the two universities have agreed to jointly promote student and faculty exchange programs, global entrepreneurship programs, and UNESCO UNITWIN programs in the future.
UNPG was founded in 1965 in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. It is the first national university established in Papua New Guinea and has five departments: Medicine & Health Sciences (6-year program), Business & Public Policy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Law, and Natural & Physical Sciences. Papua New Guinea boasts a diversity of 1,000 tribes and more than 800 tribal languages. With its abundant energy and mineral resources, it is a country with a high potential for development in the future, as it is also hosting the APEC Summit 2018.
President Chang will be staying in Papua New Guinea for five days at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea. The main purpose of the visit is to promote various international exchange programs including the UNESCO UNITWIN project, to better establish and build Oceania’s network, and to discuss programs that include dispatched students participating during their ‘free-learning’ semester. President Chang has held talks with Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato, Minister of Education Zan Chuba, UPNG, UNITECH, and Divine Word University to discuss ways of exchanges and cooperation in Papua New Guinea. HGU is the first Korean university to discuss cooperation agreement with universities in Papua New Guinea, specifically UPNG, and it is especially meaningful in Papua New Guinea where international relations and exchanges with Korea have not yet been well established.
President Chang stated, "Through this Papua New Guinea visit, we hope that HGU can contribute as a close partner to Papua New Guinea, a country rich in natural resources unlike Korea, in efforts to nurture and grow abundant human resources as well as encourage the proper use of natural resources, I hope." Among HGU professors, Professor Hyun Mo Sung, who has lived in Papua New Guinea and has much experience and a large network, will work alongside others closely to discuss various matters, such as professor-student exchange programs, bilateral cooperation within appropriate technologies, etc. based on their expertise and relationships within Papua New Guinea.
