Kyungil University (President Chung Hyun-tae) and Russia’s Saint Petersburg University of State Fire Service (President Chizhikov Eduard Nikolaevich) signed an international academic exchange agreement on May 23rd(Tue).

This agreement is intended to expand opportunities for exchange and cooperation, which have been led so far by the department of fire safety. Both universities, specialized in fire and disaster management, agreed to broaden the field of cooperation to fire prevention, building safety, emergency rescue, information and communications technology, etc. They also hope to help their countries, South Korea and Russia, establish safety measures.

For this purpose, both universities will regularly exchange professors, offer more student training programs, launch joint research projects, and co-develop an emergency management manual.

“Consulting with the Russian Emergencies Ministry, we will run international joint research projects with KIU,” said Mr. Chizhikov, president of St. Petersburg University of State Fire Service. “Combining more than 100 years of our experience with KIU’s outstanding faculty members and advanced fire safety technologies, I expect that both universities will produce excellent results.”

“Because the world is now suffering from various disasters, every country urgently needs to introduce appropriate safety measures,” KIU’s President Chung Hyun-tae noted. “An expanded partnership between KIU and St. Petersburg University will help the two nations design safety measures and also contribute to promoting close cooperation between South Korea and Russia.”

St. Petersburg University of State Fire Service was founded in 1906. As the oldest fire academy in Russia, it offers 78 programs such as Fire Safety, Emergency Rescue, Risk Management, and Forensic Science. Affiliated to the Russian federal government (the Ministry of Education), the University trains fire engineers, policymakers, lawyers, etc. It is similar to the Korean Military Academy.

During the last four years, KIU and St. Petersburg University have exchanged students through the training programs for fire safety majors. By entering into an agreement, both universities now have more opportunities to increase academic cooperation.