Kookmin University-led project group holds Global Resource Coordinator Program in Sydney
Students pose for a group photo during the 2026 Global Resource Coordinator Program in Sydney, Australia, organized by the Kookmin University-led HUSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) Global Coexistence Project Group from June 17-24. Courtesy of Kookmin University
Participants carry out join project with Australian students
The Kookmin University-led HUSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) Global Coexistence Project Group held the 2026 Global Resource Coordinator Program in Sydney, Australia, last month.
The university said Thursday that the project group organized the program from June 17-24 to bring together Korean and Australian students for a joint project, provide Korean language and cultural education through volunteer activities and promote intercultural engagement.
The program was an overseas field-based extracurricular course linked to “Global Korean Studies and Korean Language Education,” a joint course offered by the project group.
Held for the second consecutive year following its inaugural program in 2025, this year’s program brought together 28 students and four professors from the project group’s member institutions — Kookmin University, Kwangwoon University, Sun Moon University, Yeungnam University and Honam University.
Lee Dong-eun, deputy director of the HUSS Global Coexistence Project Group, oversaw the program’s overall operation.
“We designed the program to give students firsthand experience in cross-cultural communication and real-world problem-solving through collaborative projects, educational volunteer activities, and visits to local companies,” Lee said.
“Building on our partnerships with local universities, institutions, and businesses, we plan to continue expanding overseas field-based education programs.”
A key component of the program was a joint problem-based learning project conducted with students from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia.
Six UNSW students joined 28 Korean students to form six mixed teams. Together, they worked on the Global Project for Restoring Biodiversity and Linguistic-Cultural Diversity, exploring ways to restore biological, linguistic and cultural diversity through collaborative research and problem-solving.
Each team selected a project topic addressing a global sustainability challenge, including animal welfare and biodiversity conservation, the preservation of indigenous languages, marine plastic pollution and coral reef restoration and wildfire prevention and forest management.
Drawing on pre-program online meetings, on-site interviews, and background research, the students proposed practical solutions by integrating AI technologies with their field research findings, before delivering their final presentations.
“The students examined Australia’s social and environmental challenges firsthand and worked collaboratively with UNSW students to develop practical solutions,” said Hwang Dong-wook, a professor in the School of Media and Communication at Kwangwoon University who led the problem-based learning component of the program.
“What made the project especially meaningful was that students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds collaborated to produce their joint final project,” he added.
The participants volunteered to provide Korean language and cultural education to local elementary, middle, and high school students at Saesoon Korean School in Sydney.
In addition, the participants visited the Sydney offices of Korean companies operating in Australia, including Woori Bank, Hana Bank and Hyundai Corporation, where they learned about overseas business operations and the local working environment.
They also took part in an environmental, social and governance community service program at Bondi Beach, participating in environmental cleanup activities to help protect the coastal ecosystem.
The HUSS project is a national initiative funded by the Ministry of Education and administered by the National Research Foundation of Korea.
Under the initiative, the consortium has been operating a three-year interdisciplinary talent development program focused on global coexistence since 2024.