Sookmyung Women's University Receives 500 Million Won Donation from Daewoong Foundation

Expanding Educational Investment
to Foster AI Talent

Sookmyung Women's University announced on June 10 that it received a donation of 500 million won from the Daewoong Foundation on May 29 to foster global AI talent.

At the donation ceremony, President Moon Siyoun (right) and Lee Jaebin, Secretary General of Daewoong Foundation, are taking a commemorative photo.

Previously, in 2022, Jang Bongae, Honorary Chairperson of the Daewoong Foundation, personally donated 1 billion won for the establishment of the Sookmyung Women's University Digital Humanity Center. In 2023, the foundation itself contributed an additional 500 million won. Continuing the wishes of Honorary Chairperson Jang Bongae, who passed away in March, the foundation made another donation of 500 million won, bringing the cumulative total to 2 billion won.

Sookmyung Women's University plans to reorganize the existing Digital Humanity Center as the "Jang Bongae AI Center" and focus on nurturing talent and conducting research in the field of AI.

Jang Bongae, Honorary Chairperson and Sookmyung alumna, has participated in social contribution activities in line with her wish to "contribute to building a healthy society by nurturing global leaders." In recognition of her continuous donations to support the education of future generations at her alma mater for over 20 years since 1996, she was awarded the "Sookmyung Development Contribution Award."

Since 2023, Sookmyung Women's University and the Daewoong Foundation have jointly supported various initiatives, including the "Digital Healthcare Project" to advance AI-based health management programs, the "AI Talent Nurturing Program" providing practical training and scholarships, and "AI·Digital Humanity Research," which integrates technology and the humanities.

Notably, over 1,300 people participated in the personalized health management program based on continuous glucose monitoring devices, resulting in positive outcomes such as improved health indicators and changes in lifestyle habits.

The Sookmyung research team demonstrated various effects through this study, including reductions in average blood glucose, improved blood glucose control, and improvements in body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and weight. The results were presented on May 23 at the Asia-Pacific and Oceania Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

In addition, a total of 21 students participated in the "AI Talent Nurturing Program" supported by the Daewoong Foundation, where they developed practical skills through real-world projects such as building AI-based blood glucose prediction models and a "Coach Assistant Chatbot." In the research field, the program supported a total of 17 projects, including the development of an "AI-based Korean Sentiment Expression Learning Tool."

Moon Siyoun, President of Sookmyung Women's University, stated, "We will always remember the deep intentions of Honorary Chairperson Jang Bongae for social contribution and do our utmost to nurture future leaders in the field of AI."