Under the banner ‘A Step Towards Truth, CKU Opening the Future,’ President Kim has established an educational ecosystem that encourages and supports each student every step of the way, helping them realize their full potential.
“We will continue to cultivate interdisciplinary professionals to lead future industries, focusing on AI-driven educational innovation, global career development, and our new Department of Occupational Therapy and College of AI Software Convergence,” President Kim affirmed. “Above all, I am committed to making our university a place where students thrive, grow in partnership with the community, and engage meaningfully with the world.” We met with President Kim on September 10th at the Catholic Kwandong University campus in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.
KIM, Yong Seung, President of Catholic Kwandong University
Professor Emeritus, The Catholic University of Korea (Current)
Former Director, LINC Program, The Catholic University of Korea
Senior Vice President, Korean Association of Private University Presidents (Current)
Board Member, Korea University Sport Federation (Current)
Member, Policy Advisory Committee, Korea Forest Service (Current)
Former Senior Presidential Secretary for Education and Culture, Office of the President (The Blue House)
Former Co-Chair and Co-Director, Council for Education Reform Promotion, Ministry of Education
Former President, National Association of University Vice Presidents
Former Head, Management Evaluation Team for Local Public Enterprises, Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, among other roles.
What do you consider your key achievements since taking office?
“In the two years since I took office in 2023, we have made meaningful strides in multiple areas, focusing on enhancing our student-centered education and strengthening the university’s overall competitiveness. First, we strengthened our educational innovation and student support systems. We launched a faculty-student mentoring seminar for the entire student body, providing personalized career guidance from admission to graduation. We also fostered a self-directed learning environment by allowing flexible major changes and expanding options for double majors, minors, and interdisciplinary studies, empowering students to design their own academic paths.
Second, we are delivering tangible results in academic achievement and professional development. The Departments of Nursing and Dental Hygiene have both achieved a 100% pass rate on their national licensing exams, and over the past six years, our College of Education has produced more than 200 successful candidates in the secondary school teacher certification exam. During that same period, the Department of Police Administration has produced over 250 new police officers, further enhancing our strength in specialized fields. In aviation, we’ve strengthened our ties with industry and national security by training Air Force pilot scholarship recipients, commercial airline first officers, and expert ground staff.
Third, we established a robust system for global competency and career support. By offering overseas internships and global employment programs in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, we’ve built a foundation for our students to confidently take on challenges on the world stage. Furthermore, our designation by the Ministry of Employment and Labor as a ‘University for Customized Employment Services for High School Students’ has enabled us to build a comprehensive career development system that supports students from before admission through after graduation.
Finally, we have made notable strides in student welfare and campus life. By guaranteeing dormitory placement for all freshmen, providing comfortable residence halls and a variety of welfare facilities, and operating more than 70 scholarship programs, we have created an environment where students can find satisfaction in both their studies and daily lives.
All of these accomplishments are the fruit of our commitment to ‘student-centered, future-oriented education,’ and they will serve as the bedrock for developing Catholic Kwandong University into a leading institution poised for its next 100 years.”
This year, Catholic Kwandong University celebrates its 70th anniversary. What does this milestone mean for the university?
“2025 is a truly momentous year as Catholic Kwandong University celebrates its 70th anniversary. For seven decades, guided by our philosophy of ‘Truth and Love,’ our university has been dedicated to student-centered education and mutual growth with the local community.
This anniversary is more than a measure of time; it is a vital milestone that allows us to reflect on the legacy of educational excellence and trust we have built, and to chart our course for the next 100 years. Our educational framework that champions each student’s potential, our competitive edge in specialized fields like healthcare, AI, and aviation, and our comprehensive global internship and career support systems—these are the pillars built on a 70-year tradition that will launch our next great leap forward.
Building on our 70-year legacy, we will continue striving toward a ‘centennial forest,’ dedicating ourselves to helping students develop the critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving skills, communication abilities, and capacity for collaboration that will enable them to lead tomorrow’s society. This 70th anniversary is both a celebration of our past and a launchpad for a more dynamic and impactful future.”
You have established a mid- to long-term vision of becoming a ‘Glocal convergent university that communicates with the world.’ How is this vision taking shape?
“Our mid- to long-term vision of becoming a glocal convergent university is centered on building an educational ecosystem that achieves both global competence and meaningful contribution to the local community.
First, we are establishing an interdisciplinary educational ecosystem. Through our Trinity College of Convergence Studies and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, we empower students to design their own majors based on their unique interests and aptitudes. We provide an environment where they can develop both convergent thinking and professional expertise across diverse fields such as healthcare, public administration, tourism, sports, and broadcasting arts.
Second, we are connecting global internships with overseas employment opportunities. By operating overseas practicum and internship programs in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, we are laying the groundwork for our students to gain practical experience and take on challenges on the global stage.
Third, we are strengthening our ties with the local community. We are designing curricula that enable students to build their skills by addressing local issues, while also contributing to regional development. We are further promoting hands-on training and research through close collaboration with industry.
Ultimately, our ‘glocal’ vision is progressing toward a sustainable educational ecosystem where students mature into professionals with both global competence and practical skills, all while growing in tandem with the local community.”
In which fields does Catholic Kwandong University particularly excel?
“The strengths of Catholic Kwandong University are rooted in our student-centered education and our specialized fields of study. We achieve exceptional results in professional areas like healthcare, AI & software convergence, aviation, police, and education, and we provide an academic environment where students can cultivate autonomy and interdisciplinary skills.
Our university has particularly distinct strengths in entrepreneurship and industry-academia cooperation. We leverage our outstanding research achievements and human resources to continuously support student and faculty startups. Many of the companies we’ve fostered through a decade of government-backed programs are now actively collaborating with the university. This experience has created a virtuous cycle within our startup ecosystem, forging a powerful link between student employment, corporate growth, and regional industrial development.
Our achievements in entrepreneurship are poised to expand even further through regional innovation initiatives like the RISE project being implemented this year. Catholic Kwandong University is an institution that simultaneously drives student growth and regional development by seamlessly integrating education, research, entrepreneurship, and global competence.”
You also place a strong emphasis on the importance of entrepreneurship. How does Catholic Kwandong University support startups?
“Since launching the Startup Support Foundation in 2015, directly under the president’s office, our university has been a proactive supporter of entrepreneurship education and real-world venture creation. Beginning with the ‘Leading University for Startups Project’ in 2016, we have served as the lead institution for a variety of government-funded programs for 10 years, including the Pre-Startup and Early-Stage Packages and the Lab-Specialized Leading University Project, allowing us to discover promising entrepreneurs and accelerate their growth.
We provide selected companies with tailored support in areas such as △technology development, △market entry, △export assistance, △investment attraction, and △patent acquisition. At the university level, we also support growth by transferring intellectual property rights and by discovering and incubating companies through our technology holding company.
We offer students hands-on entrepreneurial experience through dedicated courses, clubs, and bootcamps. More recently, we’ve seen a surge in dynamic, lab-based startups led by our professors and graduate students.
By systematically supporting every stage of the startup journey—from education to business development—Catholic Kwandong University has emerged as a key platform driving both regional and national startup ecosystems.”
Catholic Kwandong University has a long and successful history with the Pre-Startup and Early-Stage Startup Package programs. What achievements have you seen so far?
“Over the past 10 years, from 2016 to the present, Catholic Kwandong University has identified and supported the growth of a total of 403 companies through its Pre-Startup and Early-Stage Startup Package programs. This means we have supported an average of 40 companies each year. Being one of only two universities nationwide to serve as a lead institution for 10 consecutive years is a highly meaningful accomplishment.
Most meaningfully, last year over 100 companies that grew through our programs came together to establish the K-Startup Promotion Association. Drawing on their own success, the association is fostering a virtuous startup ecosystem by supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs with △entrepreneurship education and mentoring, △market entry support, △export assistance, and △investment guidance.
Furthermore, our Startup Support Foundation was recognized as a top-tier institution in the 2022 Early-Stage Startup Package Performance Evaluation. To date, we have cultivated numerous success stories, including KOSDAQ-listed companies, pre-unicorn ventures, and successful recipients of TIPS funding. As our Foundation marks its 10th anniversary this year, we are revamping our corporate support database and are committed to creating even more startup success stories in the future.”
While we live in an era where entrepreneurship is often seen as a necessity, not a choice, the anxieties surrounding it remain very real. In your view, what is the university’s role in entrepreneurship?
“As institutions of higher learning tasked with cultivating the talent society needs, universities must now recognize that entrepreneurship education is a critical academic field. Propelled by growing government support, entrepreneurship is a powerful engine for economic revitalization, industrial competitiveness, and job creation. Universities must keep pace by integrating entrepreneurship into all majors, generating impactful research, and expanding infrastructure like labs and makerspaces.
But most important of all is fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. We must cultivate a culture that favors bold challenges over stability and constant innovation over maintaining the status quo. This requires an open attitude that is unafraid of failure. When a spirit of relentless challenge—what some call an ‘unbreakable heart’—becomes our culture, its creative energy will ripple throughout society.
Catholic Kwandong University will continue to be a steadfast supporter, ensuring that both our students and local entrepreneurs can learn this spirit and grow by seeing the success of innovative companies firsthand.”
What strengths of Catholic Kwandong University would you like to highlight for prospective students and their parents?
“Our greatest strengths are our ‘student-centered education,’ which is committed to supporting each individual’s potential, and our robust career and employment placement system.
We have proven the quality of our education through concrete results, including 100% pass rates on national exams for our nursing and dental hygiene students, as well as high rates of appointment for our education and police administration graduates.
Our self-directed learning environment—supported by faculty-student seminars and expanded options for flexible and interdisciplinary majors—along with guaranteed dormitory housing, diverse scholarship benefits, and comfortable welfare facilities, ensures that students can find satisfaction in both their academic and everyday lives.
Furthermore, our excellent accessibility from Seoul—just 80 minutes by KTX and within two hours by express bus—and our global internship programs provide a launchpad for students to pursue opportunities on the world stage. Our new, future-focused departments, such as Occupational Therapy and AI Software Convergence, further broaden career pathways and support our students’ professional growth.
As such, Catholic Kwandong University is an institution with a solid, comprehensive system for student-centered education, professional development, and global advancement, and it is one we are proud to present to prospective students and their families.”
Finally, would you like to share any words with the members of Catholic Kwandong University?
“Historically, Catholic Kwandong University has not only been a center for education and research but also a key driver of development for our local community and industry. The Pre-Startup and Early-Stage Startup programs, in particular, serve as a reliable stepping stone for young entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into sustainable companies.
In the future, our university will transcend its role as a simple educational institution to become a true platform for innovation—a place of open opportunity for our students, faculty, and the region’s youth and businesses.
To all members of our community, I sincerely encourage you not to fear your own potential. Embrace bold challenges and pursue your possibilities with confidence. When your passion and ambition are combined with the university’s full support, Catholic Kwandong University will establish itself as a truly creative and entrepreneurial ecosystem that opens the future. For the next 100 years that we will build together, I promise to stand by your side every step of the way.”
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com
