No Korean university made it into the top 10 of the latest Asian University Rankings tallied by the Chosun Ilbo and U.K. ranking firm Quacquarelli Symonds for the second year running.
The highest-ranking Korean university -- Korea University -- finished 13th, outshone by the dynamic powerhouses of the ethnic Chinese world and Japan.
Next came the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 14th. Seoul National University, still the country's most prestigious, plummeted from fourth to 18th place, an all-time low.
The rankings of 77 percent of Korean universities were lower than last year in their worst record since the rankings were tallied in 2009.
Five other Korean universities ranked among top 50 -- Yonsei (16th), Sungkyunkwan (17th), Hanyang (24th), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (26th) and Kyunghee (39th).
The downward trend of the leading Korean universities has been conspicuous since 2017 as they failed to modernize and attract international faculty and students.
Experts blame red tape and universities' complacency about innovation. They argue that a 13-year-long freeze on tuition fees has deepened universities' dependence on government subsidies, and the government's uniform standards for appraisal have sapped their vitality and autonomy, they argued.
"The gap with universities in rival countries such as China, Japan and Singapore is widening further," said Prof. Bae Young-chan of Hanyang University, "and Korean universities are also being pushed aside by universities in Southeast Asia including Thailand and Indonesia. This is a serious warning signal. The drop in university competitiveness will lead to the fall in national competitiveness a few years down the line."
