President Moon Si-yeun Named a '2025 Influential CEO of Korea
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2025-08-04
President Moon Si-yeun has been selected as a recipient in the education management sector for the "2025 Influential CEOs of Korea", an award organized by TV Chosun. Now in its 13th year, the award was established to highlight exemplary leadership among top executives who have led progress across various sectors in South Korea over the past year.
President Moon received high praise for leading a shift in educational paradigms under the slogan "Outthinkers Sookmyung", as the university prepares to celebrate its 120th founding anniversary in 2026. Since her inauguration, the university has broken away from conventional ways of thinking to cultivate future leaders—“outthinkers”—who will drive forward the rapidly evolving global agenda, including artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation.
President Moon envisions transforming the university into a global hub at the center of the Korean Wave (Hallyu). As part of this vision, a new foreign-student-exclusive college—currently the Global Convergence College—will be renamed as the "Hallyu International College" next year. By making Hallyu a core theme, the university aims to foster a new generation of global professionals who will engage with the world through Korean culture.
In addition, after taking office, President Moon established a new AI Center on campus, covering approximately 100 pyeong (about 330 square meters). The center serves as a hub for developing AI-based teaching methods and related courses, and for integrating AI convergence technologies into the university’s strong disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. It is leading convergence research and education. Around 2 billion KRW (approximately 1.5 million USD) in funding—donated by the late Honorary Chairperson Chang Bong-ae of the Daewoong Foundation, an alumna, and by the Daewoong Foundation itself—is being boldly invested into both human and physical infrastructure.
The center promotes educational innovation focused on problem-solving, aiming to foster uniquely human capabilities that AI cannot replace—such as creativity, communication, and collaboration.
Under President Moon’s leadership, donations to the university’s development fund continue to come. Notably, the president has introduced a proactive and innovative idea—naming lecture rooms after donors—as a way to honor their contributions and encourage participation. This initiative has attracted support from a wide range of individuals, including current professors, emeritus professors, and corporate chairpersons. One particularly moving story involves a current research professor—descended from an independence activist—who donated the veterans’ benefits to her alma mater, deeply resonating with the university community and the broader local society.