University of Sciences is a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

located inside the region of the

National Academy of Science The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...

Pyongyang, North Korea Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population ...

. The university was previously called as "Institute of Natural Science". UOS is geographically located in

Pyongsong Pyongsong (, , officially Phyongsong) is a city in North Korea, the capital city of South Pyongan province in western North Korea. The city is located about 32 kilometres northeast of Pyongyang, and was formally established in December 1969. It ha ...

, South Pyong'an Province, North Korea. However, North Korean government appointed the area of science district to belong to Pyongyang for giving some privileges of Pyongyang citizens to scientists of NAS and students of UOS. As Kim Il Sung, a former

leader of North Korea The supreme leader () of North Korea is the ''de facto'' paramount leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and the Korean People's Army. The title has not been written into the national constitution as a separate office, but it currentl ...

, emphasized the significance of education for gifted and talented students, UOS originally started as a branch of

Kim Il Sung University Kim Il-sung University, founded on 1 October 1946, is the first university built in North Korea. It is located on a campus in Pyongyang, the nation's capital. Along with the main academic buildings, the campus contains 10 separate offices, 50 l ...

on January 17, 1962. It was separated from Kim Il Sung University in 1985. In North Korea, this university is known as "Sujae Daehark (University for talented students)". In South Korean mass media, this university is called "

KAIST The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is a national research university located in Daedeok Innopolis, Daejeon, South Korea. KAIST was established by the Korean government in 1971 as the nation's first public, resear ...

of North Korea". Top students of

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

in North Korea study at this university supported totally by

North Korean government In the North Korean government, the Cabinet is the administrative and executive body. The North Korean government consists of three branches: administrative, legislative, and judicial. However, they are not independent of each other, but al ...

. Eighty percent of them is graduated from No.1 Middle Schools, which are science high schools for gifted and talented students in North Korea, and the rest twenty percent are medal winners in the National

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

s (math, physics, chemistry, and biology) or national science quiz contests. Unlike other universities in North Korea, students entering UNS have age limit. Equal or younger than 17 people are eligible to take entrance exam for UOS. It is known that many alums of this university are involved in projects for developing missiles and launching artificial earth satellites.

Departments

There are six departments in UOS. Each department has five or six majors.

Physics

* Theoretical Physics * Thermal Physics * Solid State Physics * Optics

Mathematics

* Control Mathematics * Applied Mathematics * Information Mathematics

Chemistry

* Theoretical Chemistry * Inorganic Chemistry(material) * Organic Chemistry * Analytical Chemistry * Laboratory of Applied Chemistry

Biology

* Molecular Biology * Chemical Biology * General Genetics * Molecular Genetics * Cell Genetics * Statistical Genetics * Biological Information

Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

* Plasma and Hydrodynamics * Mechanical Dynamics * Solid Mechanics

Notable alumni

Academics

Kim Ho Kim Ho (; born 24 November 1944) is a South Korean former football player and manager. Early life Kim was born in Tongyeong, a coastal city of South Korea, and started football in his hometown. He originally joined Tongyeong High School whe ...

(김호): Professor of Mathematics, University of Natural Science. He received his Doctoral degree in his twenties. * Kim Ha (김하): Professor of Physics, University of Natural Science, * Jang Hyekyung (장혜경): Professor of Mathematics, University of Natural Science * Kim Seo-in (김서인): A former head of department in Math Institute of the National Academy of Science of North Korea, the youngest PhD recipient of North Korea. *

Kim Kwang-hyun Kwang-hyun Kim (Hangul: 김광현; born July 22, 1988) is a South Korean left-handed pitcher for the SSG Landers of KBO League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and in KBO for the SK Wyverns. Amateur ...

(김광현): A scientist at Laser Institute of State Academy of Sciences of North Korea. He became a junior associate in the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in 2015. * Joseph Han: A

North Korean defector Since the division of Korea after the end of World War II, North Koreans have fled from the country in spite of legal punishment for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. Such North Koreans are re ...

and a

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

. He earned a PhD degree in nuclear physics from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. He is the first North Korean defector to receive a doctorate from a university in the United States.

Business

* Lee Yun-keol (이윤걸): A

and Chairman of NK Strategic Information Service Center * Lee Choong-kook (이충국): A

. Director of Dandelion Oriental Medicine Clinic

Politics, Government and Public Service

* Kim Seung-du (김승두): Chairman of National Education Commission, North Korea * Lee Kwang-ho (리광호): Minister of Science Education Department, North Korea

References

{{authority control Education in Pyongyang Universities in North Korea 1967 establishments in North Korea 20th-century architecture in North Korea