# Mokpo National Maritime University

> educational institution in South Korea

**Wikidata**: [Q623828](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q623828)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokpo_National_Maritime_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mokpo-national-maritime-university

## Summary
Mokpo National Maritime University is a South Korean national university founded in 1993 and located in the port city of Mokpo. It is the country’s only higher-education institution devoted solely to maritime studies, training merchant-marine officers, naval architects, and ocean-industry specialists.

## Key Facts
- Established in 1993 as a four-year university; roots trace back to 1950 as “Mokpo Fisheries & Merchant Marine School.”
- Official Korean name: 국립목포해양대학교 (Gungnip Mokpo Haeyang Daehakkyo) since 16 Nov 2023.
- Member of the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE).
- Coordinates: 34.7918° N, 126.3651° E—main campus sits on a hill overlooking Mokpo harbor.
- ISNI 0000-0004-0533-1140; GRID ID grid.444030.7; ROR 023jsyh61; Ringgold 34990.
- Operates training ship, engine-room simulator, and survival craft facilities required for STCW certification.
- Website: http://www.mmu.ac.kr (Korean language).
- Wikipedia articles in six languages; Commons category “Mokpo National Maritime University.”

## FAQs
### Q: Is Mokpo National Maritime University public or private?
A: It is a national (public) university funded by the South Korean government.

### Q: What degrees can I earn?
A: The university awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nautical science, marine engineering, naval architecture, ocean logistics, and related maritime fields.

### Q: Do graduates receive automatic seafarer licenses?
A: Yes—programs meet STCW standards, so graduates qualify for Korean national licenses as deck or engine officers after passing the required exams and sea-time.

### Q: How big is the campus?
A: The single-site campus in Mokpo houses academic buildings, a library, survival-training pools, and a 3,000-ton training vessel.

## Why It Matters
South Korea depends on seaborne trade for more than 90 % of its import-export volume; Mokpo National Maritime University supplies the licensed deck and engine officers who keep that traffic moving safely. As Korea’s only university-level maritime academy, it functions like a naval West Point for the merchant fleet, producing roughly one-third of the country’s new STCW-certified officers each year. Its graduates crew Korean-flag container ships, LNG carriers, and research vessels worldwide, giving the nation strategic autonomy in shipping and offshore energy. The university also hosts Korea’s largest maritime research center, developing cleaner-burning engines and autonomous-navigation algorithms that are exported to other shipping nations. In a country with few natural resources, the human capital produced in Mokpo underpins both the ocean economy and national security.

## Notable For
- Only Korean university devoted exclusively to maritime disciplines.
- Home port of the nation’s first 3,000-ton university training ship equipped with full-scale engine-room simulators.
- First Asian maritime university to earn ISO 14001 environmental-management certification (2004).
- Operates Korea’s only ice-model basin for Arctic-ship design research.
- Alumni include the youngest Korean ever promoted to captain of a 24,000-TEU ultra-large container ship.

## Body
### History
1950-04-05 – Opens as Mokpo Susang Sangseon Hakgyo, a two-year merchant-marine high school.  
1956 – Elevated to Mokpo Haeyang Godeung Hakgyo.  
1973 – Reorganized as Mokpo Haeyang Jeonmun Hakgyo (specialized maritime college).  
1993-03-01 – Upgraded to four-year Mokpo Haeyang Daehak; first bachelor’s degrees granted 1994.  
2023-11-16 – Renamed 국립목포해양대학교 to emphasize national-university status.

### Academics
Three colleges—Maritime Transportation, Ocean Engineering, and Naval Architecture & Ocean Energy—offer B.Sc. and M.Sc. programs. All majors embed 12–18 months of sea training aboard the university ship or commercial vessels. English is mandatory; cadets must pass IMO-level English for deck officers.

### Research & Facilities
- Arctic Engineering Research Center with 40 m ice-towing tank.  
- Korea Maritime Safety Authority-approved survival-training center.  
- Engine-room simulator certified to STCW 2010 Manila amendments.  
- Library holds 210 000 volumes and full digital IMO collection.

### Governance
National university under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries; president appointed by the minister on recommendation of the university senate. Budget 70 % government subsidy, 30 % tuition and research grants.

## References

1. GRID Release 2017-01-10
2. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240222154714/http://english.kcue.or.kr/member/member_01_01.php)
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. GRID Release 2015-12-14
5. GRID Release 2016-12-06
6. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
7. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph