Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) was selected on Thursday, February 12th, as a university re-designated for the Ministry of Unification's Leading University for Unification Education Project. Kookmin University is the first institution to be selected for this project for eight consecutive years, continuing through 2029.

The Leading University for Unification Education Program is a government-funded initiative aimed at establishing a unified education system within universities and cultivating specialized talent. It supports curriculum development, operation of convergence programs, and community engagement activities. This re-designation evaluation comprehensively considered factors including: ▲the president's commitment ▲development of unification education models ▲operation of unification education courses ▲curriculum expertise and sustainability ▲contribution to dissemination consulting and expansion.

Based on its slogan ‘Practicing Teaching and Learning Together,’ Kookmin University developed an educational program institutionalizing student-led presentations and participatory activities, creating a model where instructors teach while learning alongside students. In particular, initiatives classified as ‘social dialogue’ projects—such as the Unification Debate Competition, Unification Mock Cabinet Meeting, and Unification Colloquium—were highly evaluated for significantly contributing to the dissemination of unification discourse among university students nationwide. Additionally, the dissemination and expansion of excellent programs blending reason and emotion, such as the Unification Talk Concert, Unification Music Concert, and Unification Musical, also received favorable evaluations.

Moreover, in the current situation where unification and North Korean studies departments are disappearing, it earned high praise as a model case for establishing the Graduate School of Global Peace & Unification under the banner of “From Independence to Unification,” achieving high enrollment rates for new students and faculty and successful operational results.

As a result, Kookmin University has achieved the following designations: Seoul Unification Education Center by the Ministry of Unification for 6 years (2016-2021), Leading University for Unification Education Project for 4 years (2022-2025), and re-designation for the Leading University for Unification Education Project for 4 years (2026-2029).

President Jeong Seung Ryul of Kookmin University emphasized, “True peace lies in the unification of the Korean Peninsula. To cultivate leaders for the era of unification, we must produce talents who embody the entrepreneurial spirit of the late Mr. Kim Sung Kon.” He added, “Entrepreneurial spirit means striving to build a better community through creative ideas to solve social problems, persistent effort, and a challenging spirit that does not fear failure.”

Professor Yeo Hyun Chul (Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Global Peace & Unification), who oversees Kookmin University's Leading University Project for Unification Education, noted “Being selected for eight consecutive years signifies securing the continuity and stability of unification education. We plan to contribute to enhancing future generations' awareness of unification through developing digital-based educational content, strengthening field-centered education, and expanding unification education for local communities and citizens,” he stated, adding, “We will create unification education content that directly benefits students' majors and employment sectors, and establish a public forum to understand the pain of separated families and North Korean defectors.”