InterviewChungnam National University sets sights on AI-powered campus transformation

Chungnam National University President Kim Jeong-kyoum speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the university campus in Daejeon, Feb. 20. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how universities teach and learn, Chungnam National University is setting its sights on becoming a leader in AI-driven education in Korea.

University President Kim Jeong-kyoum said the central question for higher education institutions is how they understand and approach artificial intelligence, urging them to embrace the sweeping changes the technology is expected to bring.

“AI will undoubtedly bring significant changes across industries and in our daily lives,” Kim told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “Universities need to approach this shift with an open mindset and be ready to accept it. I want Chungnam National University to become a university that uses AI better than anyone else.”

While acknowledging that the term “AI-leading university” has become something of a cliche, Kim said the university’s real focus is on integrating AI meaningfully into education.

“We want to teach students how to use AI effectively in practice,” he said, adding that the university is considering incorporating AI-related elements into more than 30 percent of its curriculum. “Professors need to use and understand AI themselves in order to teach it properly, and students also need systematic training on how to use these tools well.”

Kim said those who actively use AI are better positioned to understand how it should be applied, managed and supervised.

He added that the university has already received inquiries from overseas institutions interested in jointly developing AI-related education programs.

Officials pose after the opening ceremony of the Glocal Lab research institute in South Chungcheong Province, Nov. 11, 2025. Courtesy of Chungnam National University

Another key priority is overhauling the university’s administrative system using AI. “Administration is often the hardest part of a university to change,” Kim said. “That’s why we believe introducing AI into administrative systems first could be particularly meaningful.”

Beyond building an AI-based campus environment, the university also aims to emerge as a hub for AI-driven convergence research in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology through its Glocal Lab project.

The initiative is designed to link advanced interdisciplinary research, talent development and regional strategic industries, with university research institutes playing a central role in pursuing globally competitive research while nurturing the next generation of scholars.

“Until now, there have been clear limits to translating the university’s strong basic research achievements into applications in local industries,” Kim said. “We expect the Glocal Lab project to help bridge that gap by connecting academic research more directly with the industrial field.”

As part of the initiative, the university plans to establish an integrated R&D platform combining AI, mathematical sciences and pharmaceutical and biotechnology research.

The platform aims to generate globally competitive core technologies and data while cultivating specialized talent, creating a virtuous cycle in which research outcomes are transferred to regional companies, research institutes and public institutions.

“Ultimately, the Glocal Lab project will help the university grow into a global R&D hub,” Kim said. “By creating high-quality jobs locally, it can also help curb the outflow of talented young people to the Seoul metropolitan area and foster a virtuous cycle of regional settlement and innovation."

He added that this system can serve as a catalyst for the Daejeon and Chungcheong regions to emerge as a leading center for AI-based pharmaceutical and biotech innovation in the long run.

Second-year students of the Chungnam National University preparatory class at Liaocheng Senior Finance and Trade Vocational School pose in a classroom in Liaocheng, China. Courtesy of Chungnam National University

With globalization reshaping higher education, the university is stepping up efforts to attract international students, with a goal of raising their share of the student body to 10 percent, or about 2,000 students.

As of February, some 902 international students from various countries were enrolled across 89 departments at the university.

However, the university said its strategy goes beyond simply increasing the number of international students. Instead, it is pursuing what it calls a residential global campus model, designed to grow together with partner universities overseas through deeper academic and institutional collaboration.

One notable initiative centers on the university’s graduate College of Pharmacy, which has signed agreements with universities in Vietnam to recruit outstanding students into its graduate programs. The move reflects a shift beyond the traditional focus on undergraduate recruitment, aiming instead to attract highly skilled talent with strong research capabilities and advance the internationalization of graduate education.

The university is also seeking to prepare international students even before they arrive in Korea.

Shortly after taking office two years ago, Kim launched a program aimed at identifying and preparing prospective students from Chinese high schools for study in Korea.

Under a partnership with Liaocheng Senior Finance and Trade Vocational School in China, the university opened a special preparatory track for students planning to enroll at the university.

“About 50 students are currently enrolled in the program, and those in their second year are expected to apply for the university in about a year,” Kim said.

The program is designed to provide Korean language education and other preparatory training in advance, helping the university recruit students who are better prepared to adapt and succeed in Korea.

International students of Chungnam National University pose after the spring semester entrance ceremony at the university's campus in Daejeon, March. 3. Courtesy of Chungnam National University

The university also became the first national flagship university to be designated as a certified institution under the K-STAR visa track in December last year.

The K-STAR visa track allows outstanding foreign graduates with master’s or doctoral degrees in science and engineering to obtain a residency visa through a university president’s recommendation, even before securing employment. This can help international graduates remain in Korea and pursue long-term careers after completing their studies.

This also aligns with the university’s strategy of moving beyond simply increasing the number of international students to promoting a qualitative model that links overseas study with long-term settlement in regional areas.

“Universities should take the lead in presenting new models in a global society,” Kim said. “By doing so, these ideas can spread beyond campus and ultimately influence local industries and businesses.”

He added that the globalization of Korea’s national flagship universities should go beyond elite education and instead focus on expanding opportunities for all students while growing together with local communities.

“The goal should be to ensure equal opportunities for all students while contributing to regional development and balanced national growth,” Kim said.

Graphic by Bae So-young