South Korea accelerates AI education reform in universities

South Korea’s Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide initiative to introduce mandatory AI courses at universities. The measure aims to ensure that all students acquire basic AI skills, regardless of their major, and to extend AI education reforms to higher education.

Under the plan, 6 billion won will be allocated to 20 universities, each receiving 300 million won to develop compulsory introductory AI courses. An additional 30 billion won will support national universities outside Seoul, alongside 5 billion won for short-term interdisciplinary AI programmes.

AI education will be integrated across disciplines rather than confined to computer science departments. Universities are expected to introduce AI courses for nonengineering majors, promote cross-faculty collaboration, and establish campus-wide support systems.

Participating institutions will share curricula, enable credit recognition across universities, and expand course delivery through online platforms. A consultative group will coordinate implementation and disseminate best practices nationwide.

Significant structural challenges remain. Shortages of AI-specialised faculty, limited recruitment flexibility, and the absence of generative AI guidelines in many institutions raise concerns about implementation capacity.

Education officials state that support will also be provided to professors outside AI-related fields to strengthen teaching capacity and address instructor shortages.

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