Education Minister Lee Joo-ho has urged universities to swiftly launch reforms, warning that a delay of change will dim the future of domestic universities.

In a meeting with presidents of the nation’s 38 state-owned universities on Monday, the minister said that the reforms will not be a one-time event.

Regarding the recent selection of five national universities subject to the government-led restructuring programs, Lee explained that the program is not aimed at putting those schools at a disadvantage but rather to speed up their reform procedures.

The minister added that the government will respect the autonomy of the universities as much as possible and will consult the presidents in pushing for the restructuring programs.

The presidents of state-owned universities shared the need to reform, but noted that the government is unilaterally pushing for the restructuring plan without considering different characteristics and conditions of each university.