SNU College of Engineering Hosts Successful Symposium to Mark the Opening of Haedong Advanced Engineering Center and 5th Anniversary of AI Institute
Experts from Industry, Academia, and Research Gather to Discuss the Future of AI Research at SNU


▲ Group photo of symposium participants celebrating the opening of the Haedong Advanced Engineering Center and the 5th anniversary of the AI Institute

Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that it held a symposium to celebrate the opening of the Haedong Advanced Engineering Center and the fifth anniversary of the AI Institute on December 3 at the hall on the second floor of 303.

The symposium was organized to celebrate the opening of the Haedong Advanced Engineering Center, built with funding from the late Jung-sik Kim, an alumnus and former chairman of the Haedong Science and Culture Foundation, as well as the 5th anniversary of the SNU AI Institute, established in 2019 to support integrated AI research.

The Haedong Advanced Engineering Center was designed as a cutting-edge educational and research facility focusing on interdisciplinary AI solutions to address humanity’s and industry’s pressing challenges. The Center’s completion ceremony was held on April 25. It currently houses experts from diverse AI-focused fields, including the AI Institute, AI Graduate School, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

The event began with a welcoming address by Byoung-Tak Zhang, Director of the AI Institute and a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Congratulatory speeches followed from Young-Jae Kim, Chairman of the Haedong Science and Culture Foundation; Honglim Ryu, President of Seoul National University; and Young-oh Kim, Dean of the SNU College of Engineering. Seokho Chi, Director of the Haedong Advanced Engineering Center and professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, provided an overview of the Center.

Director Zhang emphasized the significance of the symposium, stating, “This event is an opportunity to share the fruits of innovative research and education in AI over the past five years.” Chairman Kim echoed this sentiment, sharing the words of the late Kim Jung-sik, “Young creativity changes the world,” and expressing hope that the Haedong Advanced Engineering Center would foster next-generation AI leaders who transcend academic boundaries.

President Ryu highlighted the role of the new facility in advancing groundbreaking AI research, and Dean Kim expressed expectations for SNU to become a global leader in AI education and research. Director Chi committed to supporting diverse educational and research activities to make the Haedong Advanced Engineering Center a leading AI think tank.

The symposium included keynote presentations by international AI experts. Professor Antonio Krüger of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) delivered a lecture on “Innovation in Public-Private Partnerships,” discussing opportunities for AI collaboration with SNU. Professor Foutse Khomh of the Canadian AI consortium IVADO spoke on “Ecosystems for Trustworthy Machine Learning,” addressing the technical and ethical cCenterenges in advancing future AI models.

A panel discussion featured AI experts from leading companies, including Naver, SKT, LG, KT, CJ, and Hanwha Aerospace, who discussed the importance of academia-industry collaboration in advancing Korea’s AI industry. Panelists expressed their commitment to achieving sustainable technological innovation through partnerships with SNU.

The SNU AI Institute plays a pivotal role in expanding AI research capabilities at the university, facilitating collaborative research with over 200 X+AI faculty (AI applications) and 100 Core AI faculty (fundamental AI technologies) across diverse disciplines.


▲ Exterior View of Haedong Advanced Engineering Center


[Contact Information]
Seokho Chi, Director, Haedong Advanced Engineering Center, Seoul National University / +82-2-880-7344 / shchi@snu.ac.kr