Welcoming IT Talent from Developing Countries: Soongsil University Launches Global AI Master’s Program with KOICA

[Financial News] Soongsil University is launching a master’s program to recruit outstanding science and engineering talent from developing countries and train them as artificial intelligence specialists in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The initiative goes beyond conventional official development assistance by bringing overseas technology talent to Korea and closely connecting them with the country’s industrial ecosystem.
Soongsil University announced on the 15th that it has established a master’s program in AI Convergence Systems Engineering within the Department of Information and Communication Engineering at its Graduate School and begun full-scale instruction. The first cohort consists of 14 government-sponsored scholarship students selected from five countries. The university plans to select approximately 15 additional students each in 2027 and 2028, training a total of 44 international specialists.
The curriculum combines advanced theoretical instruction in information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, and data analysis with field internships at Korean companies and industry-academic projects. It also includes Korean-language education and the development of long-term industrial exchange networks so that participants can return to their home countries after graduation and cooperate with Korean companies.
Won Cheol Lee, a Soongsil University professor who heads the program, explained, "Competition in the age of artificial intelligence ultimately comes down to competition for talent." He added, "Attracting and educating outstanding talent from overseas and connecting them with domestic industries is a strategic task for the nation’s future competitiveness."
Kim Serey, a Cambodian representative of the first cohort, said, "I believe this is a program in which Korea is investing with confidence in us as partners for future cooperation." Kim added, "I will grow into a specialist who contributes to the economic and industrial development of both countries based on the artificial intelligence technologies I learn in Korea."
Earlier, on the 11th, an integrated orientation was held at DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, with approximately 200 trainees from 16 universities nationwide in attendance. Jang Gyeong-nam, vice president for academic affairs at Soongsil University, urged them, "Please grow into leaders who connect Korea and the world while considering not only the direction of technology but also its social responsibility."

[email protected] Man-gi Kim Reporter