The Korea Times' Kim Tae-gyu reports that Samsung is planning to set up a "cell phone technology" department in Seoul's Sun Sungkyunkwan University next year.

Sungkyunkwan University will be the first in Korea to offer a major on cell phone technology. "The department will enroll a total of 52 top students -- 12 for doctorate degrees and 40 for bachelor's degrees beginning next year," says Sungkyunkwan spokesman Choi Young-rock. "Samsung will financially support all 52 students with full scholarships and subsidized living costs. In addition, the company will recruit them after graduation."

Courses will include cell phone interfacing, embedded software, mobile platforms and WiBro.

"Top-tier talent is becoming more and more important in the tech-heavy cell phone industry," according to a Samsung spokesman. "We hope to nurture the cream of the crop with our own efforts."