Speaking on KBS Jeju 1TV: Regional Universities and the Future of Education
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak on KBS Jeju 1TV’s “7 PM News Jeju” about the challenges facing regional universities—and how education must evolve in response.
Across Korea, regional universities are experiencing enrollment pressure. But on campus, the issue feels deeper than numbers. What we see most clearly is the accelerating outflow of young people. Many students still feel that meaningful growth is only possible outside the region.
Our response at Cheju Halla University is simple but firm: If students can see a future here, they will stay.
That belief is shaping how we redesign education.
Rather than focusing on “filling seats,” we are restructuring programs around real regional industries—healthcare, tourism, media content, and emerging fields like AI, aerospace, and spatial data. AI is no longer a separate major; it is becoming a core tool across all disciplines. Nursing students analyze patient data with AI. Tourism students forecast demand and trends with AI. Learning is no longer abstract—it is applied.
Through the RISE (Regional Innovation System & Education) initiative, we are investing not just in buildings, but in educational infrastructure: AI computing environments, industry-linked platforms, and project-based learning systems where students can learn anytime and receive continuous feedback. This allows professors to focus less on repetitive lectures and more on mentoring and real problem-solving.
Most importantly, we connect learning directly to careers. Students graduate not with vague claims of effort, but with clear portfolios—projects, data analyses, prototypes—that demonstrate what they can actually do.
In an AI-driven era, the key question for young people is not whether they know AI, but whether they can use it to solve real problems. That starts with asking better questions, collaborating effectively, and learning through failure.
Regional universities still matter. But only if we are willing to change—quickly, concretely, and together with our communities.