InterviewSeoul Women’s University advances AI ethics, international collaboration

Seoul Women’s University President Lee Yoon-sun speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the university's campus in northeastern Seoul's Nowon District, March 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Seoul Women’s University is positioning itself as a model for bringing artificial intelligence (AI) into the classroom, applying technological knowledge to real-world challenges while grounding innovation in a deeper understanding of humanity.

Rather than prioritizing technological dominance, the university aims to foster students who can integrate disciplines and apply their learning in society, placing human values at the core of innovation.

“Education in the AI era must move beyond simply teaching students how to use technology,” Seoul Women’s University President Lee Yoon-sun said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. "We are focused on cultivating students who can apply those skills to solve social problems and create social value."

'Invisible global campus'

That philosophy extends to the university's broader internationalization strategy.

“Ultimately, we aim to build on this foundation to address shared challenges in the broader global arena,” she said.

As part of this effort, the university is seeking to strengthen cooperation with institutions affiliated with the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia to develop a collaborative global learning platform model.

The initiative aims to move beyond the limits of physical campuses by closely linking joint courses, short-term exchange programs and social problem-solving initiatives — effectively creating what the university describes as an “invisible global campus” that offers students a multidimensional international learning experience.

“The goal is to enable students to freely access the educational resources of multiple partner universities abroad as if they were part of a single campus,” Lee said.

She also expects this network to foster a collaborative environment in which universities jointly address shared global agendas, with a particular focus on advancing cross-border research on AI ethics — reflecting a theme-driven approach to internationalization in the AI era.

International students at Seoul Women’s University / Courtesy of Seoul Women's University

Full-cycle program for international students

Beyond its push for global collaboration, the university is also placing greater emphasis on inbound globalization, focusing on how to attract, educate and retain international students.

As part of this effort, the university launched the Division of Global Commerce last year as a dedicated undergraduate program for international students. Unlike conventional international programs that have largely focused on admissions and early-stage adjustment support, the division is designed as a full-cycle education platform that spans from enrollment to academic success and post-graduation career planning.

Lee highlighted that operating a program exclusively for international students has enabled the university to set more consistent and tailored educational standards that reflect students’ Korean language proficiency, academic backgrounds and local market needs.

In addition, the program is structured around two key tracks — global business and K-content media — offering practice-oriented training in areas such as international trade, e-commerce, content planning and digital marketing that can be applied directly in the field.

“The goal is to ensure that international students go beyond studying in Korea to develop into practical ‘global ambassadors’ capable of bridging Korea and the global market,” Lee said.

Seoul Women’s University President Lee Yoon-sun gives a speech during the university’s artificial intelligence transformation (AX) vision declaration event at the university campus in Nowon District, Seoul, Jan. 22. Courtesy of Seoul Women's University

Launching AI micro-degrees

To keep pace with rapidly evolving trends, the university recently unveiled its AI transformation (AX) vision, outlining plans to strategically integrate AI into its long-standing focus on character education and social innovation, with the aim of strengthening overall institutional competitiveness.

“The globalization we pursue is not just about expanding exchanges,” Lee said. “Guided by the philosophy of ‘Learn to Share, Share to Learn,’ we are building a collaborative model where the quality of education and student growth advance together with the values of the university community.”

Building on this educational vision, the university will roll out an AI-integrated micro-degree system from the second semester of this year under the guiding principle of “AI to learn, human to share,” allowing students to apply AI as a practical tool.

The initiative includes liberal arts courses such as human and AI alongside AI-linked tracks embedded within major programs.

The micro-degree program allows students to take a structured set of AI-related courses within their respective fields and complete a project to earn an additional credential. The curriculum requires five core courses, including one focused on understanding humans, three that integrate AI with students’ majors and a capstone design project through which students carry out a final project.

“We designed this as a package so that students can think beyond using AI simply as a tool to make their studies easier, and instead consider how it can be used for the broader community,” Lee said.

Role of women’s universities in AI era

The role of women’s universities takes on renewed significance as AI technologies increasingly shape decision-making and social systems, making the perspectives reflected in their design and application a critical issue.

“Expanding women’s participation in AI-related fields is not only a matter of representation,” Lee said, noting that it is closely tied to diversity, balance and responsibility in technological development.

She added that greater participation by women can help mitigate bias in technological systems and contribute to shaping a more balanced and socially responsible direction for AI development.

The university aims to cultivate graduates who can approach AI with both technical competence and a nuanced understanding of human values and social impact.

Seoul Women’s University President Lee Yoon-sun, fourth from left, poses with members of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia during their visit to Seoul at the university campus in Nowon District, Seoul, Sept. 22, 2025. Courtesy of Seoul Women's University

Joint research platform

In terms of joint research with other institutions abroad, Lee emphasized that the focus is shifting beyond the scale of collaboration or the number of published papers to how closely research is connected to solving real-world social problems.

She highlighted that Seoul Women’s University distinguishes itself by treating international research not simply as a means of producing academic output or expanding networks, but as practice-oriented work tested and applied in local communities and real-world settings.

The university has pursued problem-solving international projects that link global environmental agendas with local community issues through close cooperation with organizations such as the United Board and UNESCO.

“Going forward, we will work with overseas universities to build global research platforms in areas where we have strengths — including environment, care, education, digital transformation and women and community issues,” Lee said.

She added that the university aims to move toward a more practice-oriented and collaborative model. “The key question is no longer what universities can do, but where they should lead,” she said. “We are shaping that direction by aligning technology with human values.”

Graphic by Bae So-young