[INTERVIEW] Korea University fosters global K-culture talent with new program

Korea College President Kim Dong-one speaks throughout an interview with The Korea Instances at his workplace on the college in Seongbuk District, northeastern Seoul, Feb. 25. Korea Instances picture by Choi Gained-suk

Korea College, constantly cited as one of many nation’s prime faculties, is ramping up efforts to create a extra welcoming surroundings for worldwide college students, aiming to place itself not solely as an instructional establishment but in addition as a hub for growing sensible options for world, real-world challenges.

„Since our founding in 1905, Korea College has performed a pivotal position within the nation’s historical past. Now, we should go additional and contribute sensible options to world challenges,“ Korea College President Kim Dong-one advised the Korea Instances in an interview.

As a part of its world initiatives, Korea College established the Faculty of World Leisure to domesticate media professionals who will form the way forward for the worldwide leisure trade.

„There’s a rising demand amongst worldwide college students to find out about Korea’s leisure trade, pushed by the worldwide recognition of Okay-pop and Okay-dramas,“ Kim stated. „To fulfill this demand, we determined to determine a devoted program.“

The brand new division, aimed particularly at worldwide college students, is the primary in Korea at a four-year college to supply a complete, interdisciplinary curriculum targeted solely on leisure for a worldwide viewers.

„The hope is that these college students will create their very own distinctive types of leisure worldwide after immersing themselves in Okay-entertainment tradition,“ he stated.

Korea College President Kim Dong-one provides a speech throughout a Campus Globalization Declaration Ceremony on the college in Seongbuk District, northeastern Seoul, Sept. 10, 2024. Courtesy of Korea College

The college can also be stepping up efforts to create a extra inclusive surroundings for worldwide college students following its campus globalization declaration in September final 12 months.

The variety of worldwide college students on campus elevated from 4,230 in 2023 to six,240 by the second semester of 2024. The college can also be increasing its recruitment of worldwide college, with plans to extend the variety of full-time worldwide professors from 83 to 146 by 2030, making up 10 p.c of the overall college.

„Not simply specializing in attracting extra worldwide college students and school, we’re pursuing a deeper internationalization of analysis, schooling and administration as an entire,“ Kim stated.

The college has expanded bilingual Korean-English markers throughout campus, together with on-line bulletins and notices. School and employees have accomplished AI translation coaching 12 instances, and beginning within the spring semester, the college will trial a real-time multilingual subtitle system for Korean lectures.

This ensures that worldwide college and college students can higher perceive necessary bulletins, decreasing the chance of lacking necessary data.

Korea College President Kim Dong-one, proper, speaks with worldwide college students and school over pizza throughout a gathering occasion on the college campus in Seongbuk District, northeastern Seoul, Dec. 4, 2023. Courtesy of Korea College

Kim stated the college holds a process drive assembly each two weeks to raised tackle the challenges worldwide college students and school face.

„Worldwide professors, employees and college students take part in these conferences to share suggestions on college insurance policies and compile a to-do record to resolve their difficulties,“ Kim stated. „The college has additionally been assessing scholar satisfaction via latest campus surveys.“

Moreover, Korea College is making efforts to assist proficient worldwide college students combine into Korean society, recognizing their potential position in addressing the nation’s demographic challenges.

„We don’t see worldwide college students as momentary guests however as valued members of the Korea College neighborhood,“ he stated.

As a part of its integration efforts, Korea College operates one of many largest student-led help networks amongst home universities.

Past tutorial help and networking occasions, Korea College actively helps worldwide college students construct long-term careers in Korea by providing specialised job visa briefings, profession seminars and joint job-training packages with native college students.

An aerial view of Korea College’s Seoul campus / Courtesy of Korea College

World ambition marking one hundred and twentieth anniversary

Increasing its world imaginative and prescient, Korea College is striving to place itself as a frontrunner in larger schooling and a key contributor to tackling humanity’s urgent challenges.

Because the college marks its one hundred and twentieth anniversary, it has set an bold aim — breaking into the world’s prime 30 universities within the close to future and changing into a mannequin establishment for the way forward for larger schooling.

To realize this, Korea College is specializing in main world points such because the surroundings, sustainability, growing old populations and social inequality. It launched Okay-CLUB, a analysis community connecting prime students worldwide, to determine itself as a hub for worldwide analysis collaboration.

„Our aim is to handle humanity’s pressing challenges via cutting-edge analysis and innovation,“ Kim stated.

This 12 months, the college will introduce „Local weather Corps Program 2025,” bringing collectively researchers and college students from main establishments to develop sensible options for local weather and environmental points. Greater than 100 members from over 30 universities have already signed up.

„By means of this program, we intention to construct a worldwide analysis community and generate inventive options to environmental challenges,“ he added.

Korea College can also be strengthening its worldwide partnerships. It lately hosted the 2024 KU-Yale worldwide joint analysis discussion board, specializing in power, water and local weather know-how innovation. It plans to develop the collaboration this 12 months with Massachusetts Institute of Know-how and Michigan State College.

„I consider {that a} college ought to immediately contribute to society in a significant manner,“ Kim stated.

„Our imaginative and prescient is for Korea College to be an establishment that actively seeks options to world challenges — not only for academia, however for humanity as an entire.“