Sookmyung Holds “Women in STEM” Forum with EU Delegation to Korea for International Women’s Day
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2026-03-09
To mark International Women’s Day, Sookmyung Women’s University jointly hosted the “Women in STEM” Forum on March 6 at the Designers Lounge of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, together with the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea and the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET).
The event was organized to explore ways to expand women’s participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and to provide a platform for discussion on fostering the next generation of women scientists and engineers.
Currently in Europe, one out of three STEM graduates is female, while in Korea women account for only about 23.9% of PhD holders in STEM fields, a relatively low level among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Against this backdrop, representatives from academia, industry, and policymaking gathered to discuss challenges and practical strategies for achieving gender equality in science and technology.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Roland Honekamp, Counsellor at the EU Delegation to Korea. This was followed by welcome speeches from Moon Si-yeun, President of Sookmyung Women’s University, and Moon Aeri, President of the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, as well as congratulatory remarks by Cho Min-kyung, Director General of the Women’s Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
During the panel discussion, women experts actively working in STEM shared their experiences and visions for the future. Participants included Prof. Yoo Kyung-hyun, a specialist in advanced genetic engineering from Sookmyung Women’s University; Hong Soo-rin, a nano-medicine expert and patent attorney from CHA University; Jung So-hyun, an expert in tissue optics at Samsung Electronics; and Jang Ji-hee, a doctoral student at Sookmyung Women’s University.
The forum also introduced two major EU research and education cooperation programs: ‘Horizon Europe’ and ‘Erasmus+’.
Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the EU to Korea, stated, “Expanding women’s participation in STEM is an essential task for fully realizing the scientific and technological potential of both Europe and Korea. We will continue strengthening cooperation with Korea to encourage young women to pursue STEM careers and to build an ecosystem where all talents can demonstrate their abilities without barriers.”
Moon Aeri, President of WISET, said, “Scientific and technological innovation is truly achieved when people with diverse perspectives participate throughout the research process. It is important to create an environment where women scientists can demonstrate their capabilities in international collaborative research and pass those experiences on to the next generation.”
Moon Si-yeun, President of Sookmyung Women’s University, added, “Women in science and technology should establish themselves not merely as participants but as leaders who design change. Sookmyung Women’s University will cultivate ‘Outthinkers’ who solve problems in new ways beyond stereotypes and contribute to expanding women’s leadership in the fields of science and technology.”
