my timesThe Korea Times
  1. South Korea
  2. Education
  3. Campus

Soongsil University charts new course as Korea’s first AI-focused campus

Listen
By Jung Da-hyun
  • Published KST
University officials and participants, including Soongsil University President Lee Youn-jai, fourth from left, unveil the AX Vision Declaration plaque during a ceremony at Soongsil University, Friday. Courtesy of Soongsil University

University officials and participants, including Soongsil University President Lee Youn-jai, fourth from left, unveil the AX Vision Declaration plaque during a ceremony at Soongsil University, Friday. Courtesy of Soongsil University

Soongsil University has announced plans to transform itself into Korea’s first university centered on artificial intelligence, pledging to integrate the technology into all aspects of teaching, research and campus operations under a new initiative known as AX.

During the vision proclamation ceremony held on Friday, Soongsil University President Lee Youn-jai declared the beginning of the university’s next chapter as “AI Native Soongsil,” pledging to move beyond technology-driven innovation toward a human-centered and ethics-based model of AI education.

“On 128 years of history, we will open the AX era that blends technology and humanity,” Lee said, adding that Soongsil aims to cultivate ethical AI leaders guided by Christian values.

Emphasizing that humanity and AI should move toward a relationship of co-evolution rather than competition in an era of unprecedented technological advancement, the university’s new initiative aims to integrate AI not merely as a technical field, but across the humanities, social sciences and arts — pursuing a human-centered AI education model.

Government and industry figures, including Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, praised the university’s approach as a meaningful step in merging AI innovation with moral and humanistic education.

The university also signed partnership agreements with 15 leading AI companies — including Doosan Robotics, Innogrid, Spark-X and Upstage — to build a collaborative AI innovation ecosystem. It additionally unveiled plans to expand its AI infrastructure and launch a new college dedicated to advancing AI-driven education and research.

With a long legacy in information technology — including establishing the nation’s first computer science department in 1970 — the university is now charting a new course as an AI-native institution, aiming to lead in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.