Presidents of the nation’s private universities have expressed concerns that the autonomy of universities has been undermined by the government’s university reform plans and the Board of Audit and Inspection’s auditing of university tuition fees.

In a meeting of private university presidents at Kookmin University in Seoul on Friday, Kyonggi University President Choi Ho-joon said that universities, which are now monitored institutions rather than the intended hall of learning and freedom, have become organizations that are being controlled, monitored, and evaluated.

University President Chang Ho-sung said that the universities have almost lost their autonomy, facing significant external control.

Education Minister Lee Joo-ho said that the government intends to demand the universities to take responsibility while respecting their autonomy as much as possible.