In AI Era, Regional Universities Have Opportunity—Must Abandon 'Chasing Seoul National University' to Survive

Kim Hun-chul, chairman of the Central Anchor Committee, said in a recent interview with the Seoul Economic Daily that the era of artificial intelligence (AI) is not a time when regional universities struggle to catch up with those in the Seoul metropolitan area, but rather a time when they can build competitiveness that metropolitan universities cannot imitate. He stressed that an opportunity for innovation has arrived for regional universities.

This year, the Ministry of Education reorganized the existing "Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE)" into the "Regional Growth Talent Development System (Anchor)," which links regional talent to employment, entrepreneurship, and settlement. The Central Anchor Committee is responsible for overseeing the direction and performance of the policy. Kim served as the 11th and 12th president of Kangwon National University from 2016 to 2024 and currently chairs the Central Anchor Committee.

Kim emphasized that the survival strategy for regional universities in the AI era lies not in chasing metropolitan universities but in strengthening their own competitiveness. While physical infrastructure and capital are concentrated in the metropolitan area, AI and cloud technology are breaking down the barrier of distance, allowing regional universities to secure sufficient competitiveness as well, he said. He particularly forecast that combining region-specific data such as agriculture, tourism, marine industries, and aging populations with AI can yield differentiated research results and foster industries that surpass metropolitan universities. "Regional universities must now abandon the strategy of 'chasing Seoul National University,'" Kim stressed. "New competitiveness will be created in the process of solving problems unique to each region."

Kim pointed out that the type of talent regional universities should cultivate must also change. Since core talent developing hyperscale AI models is the domain of large metropolitan universities and global Big Tech companies, regional universities should focus on nurturing convergence-type talent who apply AI to each industry to solve problems, he said. Smart farming, tourism data analysis, and digital healthcare are representative examples. To this end, Kim proposed that all students, regardless of major, acquire AI literacy and that project-based education linked to regional industries be expanded. "How you do it, rather than what you do, determines competitiveness," he said. "Going forward, the aspect of collaborative ability will become even more important when evaluating talent."

He also pointed out that the integration of regional universities in response to a declining school-age population should be approached from the perspective of role reorganization rather than simple restructuring. "The era in which every university offers every discipline is over," Kim said. "Through specialization and division of functions among universities in wider metropolitan areas, national universities should focus on public interest and basic studies, private universities on specialization, and junior colleges on vocational education."

He cited "openness" as the key condition for the survival of regional universities. This means that future survival depends on how quickly the walls between departments, universities, local communities, and industries are torn down. He also held that universities must reinvent themselves as lifelong education hubs that broadly encompass current workers, retirees, and international students. "Universities are no longer talent-supply institutions but regional innovation institutions," Kim said. "They must lead a virtuous cycle that grows alongside regional industries and creates companies and jobs." He stressed, "Sustainable regional development becomes possible when regional universities become the central axis designing the future of their regions."