BUSAN, Korea - A leading South Korean marine science university has chosen Perak to set up its offshore campus.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the state government had identified potential sites in Taiping, Selinsing and Kuala Gula for the Pukyong National University campus.

The state government had spoken to the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority, which agreed to implement the agreement with the university, he told reporters here at the end of his four-day visit to South Korea on Thursday.

During his visit, Dr Zambry was conferred an honorary doctorate degree in Fisheries Science by the university.

He was confident that with the setting up of the campus, Perak was set to become a fisheries studies centre.

"At present, more than 500 students from 12 countries are studying at the university," he said, adding that there were only four Malaysians studying there.

He said the Perak campus would be opened to foreign students.

"The university had been scouting for a site for its offshore campus in several countries, including Indonesia, before deciding on Perak," Dr Zambry added.

On a related matter, the Mentri Besar said the university had agreed to increase its intake of students from Perak for its PhD and Masters programme, adding that selected students would be offered scholarships.