Seongnam City Breaks Ground on KAIST Kim Jaecheol Graduate School of AI
Dongwon Honorary Chairman Kim Jaecheol Donates 54.2 Billion Won
Pangyo AI Graduate School Construction in Full Swing
Launch of World-Class AI Research Hub
Construction has begun in Pangyo, Seongnam on the Kim Jaecheol Graduate School of AI at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), which is expected to lead the field of artificial intelligence (AI), with the groundbreaking taking place on February 26. The ceremony is drawing attention as the starting point for establishing a world-class AI research facility and as a core foundation that will drive Seongnam City’s future strategic industries.
Shin Sangjin, mayor of Seongnam, Kim Jaecheol, Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group, and Lee Gwanghyung, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), among others, are participating in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Kim Jaecheol Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence (AI) held on the 26th at 493 Pangyo-dong, Bundang-gu. Photo provided by Seongnam City.
The groundbreaking ceremony, held at 493 Pangyo-dong, Bundang-gu at 3 p.m. on the 26th, was attended by Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin, Dongwon Group Honorary Chairman Kim Jaecheol, and KAIST President Lee Kwanghyung, among other officials, who presented an overview of the project and conducted the groundbreaking.
The KAIST Kim Jaecheol Graduate School of AI is a specialized AI research facility named after Dongwon Group founder and Honorary Chairman Kim Jaecheol. It will be built on a 6,000-square-meter site, with a total floor area of 18,185 square meters, consisting of one underground floor and eight above-ground floors. Seongnam City will provide the land free of charge for 20 years, while Honorary Chairman Kim Jaecheol has donated 54.2 billion won in construction costs to KAIST, laying the groundwork for the project.
The target completion date is February 2028, and the institution plans to focus on nurturing core AI talent while promoting international joint research, global startups, and community cooperation programs.
The building will consist of research support facilities; industry-academia cooperation and startup spaces (including incubation space for AI startups); education and research areas (faculty and student laboratories, lecture rooms, and lounges); a main conference hall, meeting rooms, and offices; and parking facilities. In open spaces on each floor, a wide range of convergence research will be conducted, including AI-based weather forecasting, AI for scientific fields such as new drug development, healthcare AI, and manufacturing AI.
In addition, the facility will include robot laboratories for research on physical AI (real-world-based AI) and humanoids (human-type robots), as well as citizen-participation experience spaces such as exhibition halls, galleries, and cinemas that showcase the development process of AI at a glance.
Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin said, "I would like to express my deep gratitude to Honorary Chairman Kim Jaecheol for contributing his personal funds for the construction of this historic graduate school that will brighten the future of the Republic of Korea," adding, "The KAIST Kim Jaecheol Graduate School of AI will establish itself as an innovation hub where research and industry are organically connected within a collaborative ecosystem linking academia, industry, and research institutes, in conjunction with Pangyo Techno Valley, one of Seongnam City’s key strengths."
He continued, "I hope that the talent nurtured here will play a pivotal role in bridging research and industry, leading global competitiveness in AI beyond the Republic of Korea. Seongnam City, as a reliable partner, will actively support the growth foundation."
Shin Sangjin, mayor of Seongnam, is delivering a commemorative speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the KAIST Kim Jaecheol AI Graduate School held on the 26th at 493 Pangyo-dong, Bundang-gu. Photo by Seongnam City
Honorary Chairman Kim Jaecheol stated, "I hope that the Graduate School of AI will go beyond being a simple research facility to become a cradle for nurturing AI talent that will lead the world and a starting point for a new leap forward."
KAIST President Lee Kwanghyung said, "Through this new research facility in Pangyo, it will be possible to work even more closely with the government, which is striving to restore research and development budgets and normalize the research ecosystem."
Seongnam City expects that, as the high-tech industrial infrastructure centered on Pangyo combines with KAIST’s research capabilities, the area around 493 Pangyo-dong will grow into a global AI research hub. The city plans to continue actively building the foundation for fostering future growth industries.
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