InterviewThe Catholic University of Korea says faith is its strength in AI race

The Catholic University of Korea President Rev. Choi Jun-gui speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the president's office at the university campus in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, June 5. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

As universities race to expand artificial intelligence (AI) education, The Catholic University of Korea is betting that its strongest competitive advantage lies not in AI alone, but in its Catholic identity and the values guiding the technology's use.

President Choi Jun-gui said the university's vision, "Be Catholic, Be Excellent," seeks to distinguish the institution by combining cutting-edge AI and biomedical innovation with education rooted in human dignity, ethics and respect for life.

"AI is a tool. Human beings must always remain the ones who guide and control that tool," he said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Korea's first medical AI ethics code

The university is putting that philosophy into practice through a series of AI initiatives centered on medicine and biotechnology.

Starting this fall semester, the university will launch an interdisciplinary graduate program in AI drug discovery and regulatory science, jointly operated by the colleges of pharmacy, medicine and medical AI.

Choi said the initiative responds to a growing global demand for professionals who understand both AI technologies and the regulatory and ethical frameworks governing them.

Students will train using clinical data from the Catholic Medical Center's eight affiliated hospitals while participating in industry internships and regulatory training.

Officials pose after announcing the Catholic Medical Center's AI Code of Ethics during the CMC Ethical AI Transformation Symposium at Maria Hall in The Catholic University of Korea, May 7. Courtesy of The Catholic University of Korea

The university is also moving to turn its ethical approach to AI into institutional practice.

On May 7, the Catholic Medical Center became the first medical institution in Korea to adopt an AI Code of Ethics, declaring that AI should serve humanity rather than replace human judgment.

For Choi, such guidelines are becoming increasingly important as AI reshapes medicine and biotechnology.

"AI has dramatically accelerated every stage of drug development, from design to validation," he said. "But the faster technology advances, the more important ethical review and regulatory oversight become."

Choi pointed to the university's integrated network of education, research and clinical care as a key advantage in pursuing that goal.

"Our strength is that the university, industry and hospitals already operate within a single ecosystem," he said. "What other universities have to assemble separately, we already have in place."

Through that ecosystem, the university aims to train professionals who can pair advanced technological expertise with ethical judgment, rather than simply producing another generation of AI specialists.

In addition, the university is also strengthening collaboration with industry to bridge research and commercialization.

Through a recent partnership with COSMAX, the university will establish a Bio-AI Cosmetics Track that integrates education, joint research and industry-sponsored scholarships. Students will work alongside company researchers on practical applications of AI, reflecting the university's emphasis on translating research into real-world innovation.

Officials from The Catholic University of Korea, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, and the John Paul II Youth Foundation discuss plans for a joint international academic conference during the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day and long-term cooperation during a meeting held in Rome, Nov. 20, 2025. Courtesy of The Catholic University of Korea

Global Catholic network as competitive asset

Rather than relying solely on conventional exchange partnerships, the university is leveraging its global Catholic network to strengthen its international competitiveness.

A cornerstone of that strategy is East Asia's only Vatican-approved Graduate School of Canon Law, which gives the university access to academic and institutional networks unique to Catholic higher education. Choi said those connections provide opportunities for joint research, faculty exchanges and international collaboration that extend well beyond traditional student exchange programs.

The network includes AVEPRO, the Holy See's quality assurance agency for ecclesiastical universities and faculties, and SACRU, an alliance of leading Catholic research universities.

Choi said such ties open channels for research collaboration, faculty exchange, governance cooperation and what he described as academic diplomacy — forms of international engagement that go beyond conventional university partnerships.

The university is also preparing to play a prominent role in the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul, which will be held in Asia for only the second time. Organizers expect about 400,000 overseas participants and roughly 1 million attendees overall.

At the Vatican's request, the university will host the event's international academic conference, bringing together young people, scholars and Church leaders from around the world.

The event represents more than a religious gathering.

"It is a platform where we can show the world what 'Be Catholic, Be Excellent' truly means," Choi said.

Choi also stressed that the university's ambitions remain firmly global.

Officials pose after the opening ceremony of The Catholic University of Korea's Vietnam Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 20. Courtesy of The Catholic University of Korea

Alongside expanding programs to train physician-scientists through government-funded initiatives, the university is broadening international research collaboration with Catholic universities in Italy, Spain, Taiwan, India, Japan and the United States. The projects focus on areas including sustainability, ecological restoration and the protection of human life, supported through jointly funded research programs.

Those initiatives form part of the university's broader push to strengthen its research competitiveness and achieve its long-term goal of joining the world's top 200 universities in the QS World University Rankings.

For Choi, global rankings remain an important benchmark, but not the university's ultimate objective.

Rather than chasing prestige by imitating other institutions, he argued that universities should build on their own distinctive strengths.

"When universities face crises, many try to survive by benchmarking others," he said. "We believe the answer is different. The more authentically Catholic we are, the more competitive we become."

In the AI era, he added, universities should pursue more than technological advancement or the expansion of knowledge.

"If we pursue life, truth and human dignity in the right way," Choi said, "recognition and rankings will follow as a result — not as the purpose."

Graphic by Bae So-young