The province spent 41.5 billion won last year to purchase the former campus of Tamna University, but the administration has failed to put the site to good use. As Joseph Kim now reports, it’s currently being used as collection area for trees cut down in the fight against pine wilt.




Report

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Former Tamna University campus in Seogwipo

Cut tree trunks are piled high.

A mountain of sawdust.

Trucks hauling dead trees are seen unloading the trunks.

The trees were all infected with pine wilt disease.

Near the trunks, bits of urethane are padded along the track and basketball posts.

Indicators that this site used to be an athletics field.

Yes, this is the former campus of Tamna University.

INTERVIEW
Representative of Seogwipo administration
There is no space to process the dead trees. The former campus is not currently in use, so we’re doing it there through the end of May. Then, we will clear out from the site.
< 서귀포시 관계자 >
지금 동지역에는 마땅한 장소가 없습니다. 그쪽이 활용 안되고 있으니까 임시로 5월까지 파쇄장으로 사용하고 나중에 원상복구하는 조건으로…

Jeju International University was formed in 2011 through a merger of Tamna University and the Jeju College of Technology, both of which were struggling financially.

11 buildings and 310,000 square meters of land were not included in the deal.

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Province purchased site for \41.5b in June 2016

The province spent 41.5 billion won to buy the former campus of Tamna University in June of 2016.

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\50m spent on maintenance

A significant amount of money was used to purchase the site, but there is currently no plan set in place to utilize the location.

While the site remains vacant, 50 million won has been spent on maintenance.

The province only has ambiguous plans to use the educational site for international colleges.

INTERVIEW
Kim Seong-nam / Provincial dept. of university policy
Currently, we don’t have any specific plans for the site, but we have had talks with foreign colleges planning to open campuses on the island. When we have a specific plan for the site, we will begin to make preparations.
< 김성남 / 제주도 대학정책담당 >
구체적인 실무 단계까지는 안갔지만 외국 대학을 해보고 싶다는 제안, 접촉은 2차례 있었고, 구체적으로 그림이 나오면 그에 따라서 외국대학 설립을 위한 계획을 준비해 나가도록 하겠습니다.

[Reporter] Joseph Kim
[Camera] Park Byeong-joon

Critics say that a vast sum of tax money was wasted to purchase the site and the location is being used inappropriately without any clear direction.

Joseph Kim, KCTV