[Interview] Kim Dong-won, President of Korea University, "I Will Build a 'Strong Korea University' Contributing to the Future of Humanity"

Ahead of the 120th Anniversary in 2025
Slogan 'University for the Nation' Expanded
Producing Nobel, Fields, and Turing Laureates Within 10 Years
'KU-Nobel Project' Launched
Strengthening Support for Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Medical Research

Korea University is preparing to make a quantum leap as a university that contributes to the future society of humanity beyond Korea. Ahead of its 120th anniversary in 2025, it is taking its first steps on a new path, including the endowed professorship system, expanding knowledge beneficiaries, and nurturing multicultural talents.

Kim Dong-won, president of Korea University who is leading this transformation, said in an interview with this paper conducted on the 1st at the president’s office in the main building and the campus lawn in front of the main building, "We will create a stronger Korea University and realize a world top 30 university."

Kim Dong-won, President of Korea University. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

The president’s office on the first floor of the granite building built in Gothic style by In-chon Kim Seong-su in 1934 is an old-fashioned and neat small room. For 89 years since the Boseong Professional School era, successive presidents of Korea University have used this modest office, developing the university into Korea’s top comprehensive university.

It has been eight months since you took office as president. It must have been a nonstop period.

Although I have many schedules, I make time to walk around the campus and organize my thoughts. Walking for 30 minutes to an hour helps maintain my health and clear my complicated mind. There are several pleasant walking trails on the campus, and walking different routes every day, I meet many students. Seeing them makes my shoulders feel heavy. When I am alone in the president’s office, I maintain my strength by lifting dumbbells.

What is the concept of ‘Strong Korea University’ mentioned in your inaugural speech, and what policies are you promoting to achieve it?

‘Strong Korea University’ has two meanings. First, it means a financially sound university. Financial stability is necessary to recruit excellent researchers and professors. We set a goal to raise 140 billion won in donations and have already secured about 40 billion won in pledges. Along with this, we plan to decentralize the financial system so that each unit within the university can autonomously promote revenue expansion and cost reduction.

Secondly, the university’s global status must rise. Korea University has played an important role as a national university during decisive moments in modern Korean history. Now is the time to contribute to the global society as a whole, and to this end, we are developing policies to place Korea University among the world’s top 30 universities by global evaluation standards.

How do you secure and educate talents that meet globalization?

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary, we plan to expand Korea University’s slogan from ‘University of the Nation’ to ‘University for the Nation.’ A representative policy for this is recruiting freshmen through the ‘Multicultural Talent Admission.’ For the globalization of Korea and Korea University, we must open the doors to multicultural talents. We will provide full support for nurturing multicultural talents. Someday, I hope a multicultural talent who graduated from Korea University will become the president of Korea University.

Also, the composition of foreign students is being diversified rather than concentrated in China. For example, Korea University actively accepts Arab students. There are even three Arab prayer rooms on campus.

Kim Dong-won, President of Korea University, is walking on the campus and talking with reporters. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

What are the plans to strengthen research and development (R&D) capabilities to enter the world’s top 30?

We are creating the ‘K-Club,’ a research network that connects world-renowned scholars, and promoting the ‘KU-Nobel Project’ to support producing Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, and Turing Award winners among Korea University alumni and professors within 10 years. We are strengthening research support in natural sciences, engineering, and medicine, holding annual academic forums jointly with Oxford University and Yale University, and planning to establish the ‘K3’ convergence science belt linking Korea University (KU), KAIST, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

You announced a plan to hire 120 endowed professors. How is this related to R&D?

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the half-life of knowledge is rapidly shortening, so universities must develop the science and technology needed by society and industry now and nurture advanced talents in real time. Even before becoming president, I heard such demands from many company representatives and felt the urgent need to secure faculty using endowment funds amid financial difficulties. This semester, we selected seven endowed professors in AI, hydrogen energy, quantum physics, new media, and design fields. The hiring target for endowed professors during my four-year term has been raised from 120 to 200. Endowed professors receive funding sponsored by companies, but their status and authority as Korea University faculty are the same as other professors.

You also expressed ambitions to broaden the beneficiaries of knowledge produced by the university and improve knowledge delivery methods.

Due to population decline, managing a comprehensive university targeting only the 20s age group is no longer possible. Korea University is developing life-cycle and generation-tailored education programs focusing beyond the 20s to middle-aged and older adults, and building an innovative metaverse-type education platform targeting Korean speakers worldwide, including foreigners, offering various degree and non-degree programs. Through this, Korea University will fulfill its mission as a higher education institution contributing to real society and secure stable finances to lay the foundation for long-term development.

As president of a comprehensive university covering all academic fields, what is your view on the concentration of students in the medical school?

Korea University is reforming liberal arts and major courses so that all students acquire abilities to respond to rapid social changes beyond their majors, and has greatly expanded micro-degree (specialized major) programs. However, the environment surrounding domestic universities, including ours, is challenging. According to last year’s data, government investment in higher education ranks 32nd among 38 OECD countries. In this situation, universities can barely think about innovation and must focus on survival. It is natural that excellent applicants flock to medical schools, neglecting other majors. The government, education sector, and society must work together to find solutions.

Kim Dong-won, President of Korea University, is walking through the campus where the ginkgo leaves are turning yellow. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

You cannot just blame reality. How can Korea University attract excellent students to science and engineering?

The starting point is to establish Korea University as an incubator of science and technology innovation and a model of success. By flexibly adjusting department and major quotas, we can broaden the range of majors preferred by science and engineering students. We are considering gradually expanding the no-major or major transfer system and increasing curriculum flexibility so that science and engineering students can explore and choose diverse career paths.

Currently, preference for medical school is natural based on lifetime income by occupation in Korea, but Korea University will present a science and engineering success model that creates greater social value and achieves much greater success and social influence. We will establish a system to nurture world-class talents in various fields such as entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists.

Top-tier students also gather at Korea University’s medical school. What kind of talents are they being developed into?

The greatest characteristic of Korea University College of Medicine and Korea University Medical Center is medical benevolence. We established hospitals mainly in medical blind spots with many industrial accidents, such as Guro Industrial Complex and Ansan Industrial Complex. Korea University College of Medicine is globally authoritative in forensic medicine, which uncovers the truth for victims of incidents, accidents, and crimes, rather than clinical medicine. At the same time, there are many new medical technology research and startup ventures at Korea University College of Medicine. Based on this academic culture, we emphasize to medical students to be interested in medical research contributing to humanity through benevolence and creative development of new medical technologies rather than just clinical practice.

This admission cycle introduced a new ‘Academic Excellence Admission’ that does not allow applicants from gifted high schools or specialized high schools. What kind of talents is this admission targeting?

The purpose is to secure diversity in the composition of freshmen through diversification of admission elements. Currently, university admissions are divided into early admission ? academic records and regular admission ? CSAT scores by recruitment period, so high schools are divided into early admission students who actively participate in school classes after a certain period and regular admission students who focus solely on CSAT preparation. Some even consider dropping out of high school to focus on CSAT preparation.

The newly established Academic Excellence Admission at Korea University reflects both CSAT scores and academic records even in regular admissions. The intention is to select students who have excellent academic ability and are also diligent in school life. Also, by reflecting academic records up to the second semester of the third year, it aims to encourage meaningful educational activities in high schools even after the CSAT. Korea University will design and operate admissions to select talents with diverse capabilities, not just those who study well.

▶Kim Dong-won, President of Korea University

Born in 1960, he graduated from Korea University’s Business Administration Department and earned a Ph.D. in labor relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After serving as a professor at the State University of New York, he was appointed professor at Korea University’s Business Administration Department in 1997. He has held positions such as Director of General Affairs, Director of Planning and Budget, Dean of the Graduate School of Labor Studies, and Dean of the Graduate School of Business. He took office as the 21st president on March 1. He has served as vice president of the Korea University Businessmen’s Association and president of the International Labor and Employment Relations Association.

Interview by Dong-hyuk Lee, Social Affairs Chief, organized by Byung-don Yoo