The 16th Joint Seminar with Kunsan National University, South Korea

(Posted on December 5, 2025)

On Thursday, November 27, the 16th Joint Seminar was held at Kunsan National University in South Korea, with whom we have a university-level academic agreement. The seminar was organized under the theme of “Infrastructure and Materials Engineering, and EE and Smart Engineering.” From the Faculty of Engineering at Yamaguchi University, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Shinji Ikaruga, Director of the International Cooperation Office, Prof. Junhwan Song, Prof. Shinichiro Nakashima, Associate Prof. Fei Jiang, Associate Prof. Narihito Okada, Assistant Prof. Yu Sugimoto, and General Affairs and Planning Section Chief, Ai Matsunaga, participated. Faculty members from both universities delivered presentations on their respective research fields, offering Kunsan National University students in attendance a valuable opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research, while providing faculty of both institutions a meaningful platform to deepen mutual understanding of each other’s work.

Prior to the seminar, the Yamaguchi University delegation paid a courtesy visit to Acting President Um Ki-Wook on the morning of November 27. During the meeting, both sides first expressed high appreciation and gratitude for the 16 years of longstanding exchange achievements between the two universities. They then exchanged views on shared challenges, particularly the organizational restructuring currently underway at both institutions amid declining birthrates in Japan and Korea. Yamaguchi University also introduced its new “Faculty of Informatics,” scheduled to be launched in April, 2026, which drew strong interest as an initiative designed to meet the needs of a changing era.

This year’s Joint Seminar served as an opportunity not only to reaffirm the robust academic partnership between the two universities, but also to explore possibilities for future joint research and to learn from each other’s innovative educational programs. Yamaguchi University will continue to contribute to the advancement of international academic exchange through its ongoing collaboration with Kunsan National University.