[CONTRIBUTION] Adding 'jeong' to technology

Kim Chong-hee, president of Sangmyung University, argues that Korea’s technological and educational achievements have grown from decades of perseverance and human connection. The government’s Study Korea 300K Project target has already been surpassed, with international student numbers expected to approach 400,000 next year. Kim says universities should complement technology with jeong by welcoming students into communities and creating lasting personal bonds.

The Ministry of Education launched the Study Korea 300K Project in 2023 with a goal of attracting 300,000 international students by 2027.

The number of international students in Korea surpassed 300,000 this year and is expected to approach 400,000 next year.

Kim describes jeong as a deep sense of affection and attachment that develops through time spent together and remains after that time has passed.

International students who formed bonds at Sangmyung University have returned home to become professors, deans and other academic leaders, some of whom now send students to the university.

Kim recalls Sangmyung University activities including making kimchi, sharing holiday meals, singing songs and providing warm coats to international students.

Published Oct 13, 2026 7:00 am KST

Sangmyung University President Kim Chong-hee / Korea Times file

This year, the combined operating profits of Korea’s semiconductor companies are expected to soar well beyond 500 trillion won ($373 billion), reaching unprecedented levels. Some have likened this extraordinary performance to winning a lottery. But I see it differently.

What we are witnessing today, I believe, is not a stroke of good fortune. Rather, it is the culmination of decades of perseverance, sacrifice and dedication. As Koreans know well, countless companies, engineers and technicians have worked since the 1970s to build the foundations of the nation’s semiconductor industry. After nearly half a century of accumulated effort, the seeds they planted are finally coming to fruition.

A similar story of long-term commitment can be found in the rapid growth of international students choosing to study in Korea. In 2023, the Ministry of Education launched the Study Korea 300K Project, setting a goal of attracting 300,000 international students by 2027. That target has already been achieved ahead of schedule, with the number of international students in Korea surpassing 300,000 this year. Next year, the figure is expected to approach 400,000 — a number nearly comparable to the annual population of Korean high school graduates entering university.

This remarkable growth did not happen overnight, nor did it come about by chance. As vividly described in the recently published book "Hidden Figures of Korean Wave," it is the result of decades of patient work by educators at Korean universities and professionals in the fields of culture and arts. Their dedication, accumulated quietly over many years, has now begun to yield tangible results.

Over the years, I have come to cherish many memories of the time I spent with international students at Sangmyung University. I still remember making kimchi together with our international students, faculty and staff, sharing not only what we had made but also the simple joy of being together. During Chuseok and other traditional holidays, when some students found themselves far from their families, we gathered at the university cafeteria to share a special holiday meal. I played the ukulele as we sang songs together, including the Chinese classic “Tian Mi Mi,” familiar to many from the film "Comrades: Almost a Love Story."

During the Lunar New Year, we prepared small packages of rice cakes and hung them on the doorknobs of students’ dormitory rooms. I also remember feeling concerned when I saw some international students facing Korea’s bitter winter without sufficiently warm clothing. We bought them long padded coats to help keep them warm, and the delight on their faces has stayed with me ever since.

Looking back, these were all simple gestures. Yet I believe it was through such ordinary moments — making food together, sharing meals, singing songs and caring for one another — that something deeper gradually took shape between us: what Koreans call "jeong," a deep sense of affection and attachment that quietly grows through time spent together and remains long after that time has passed.

Many of the international students with whom we developed such bonds have since returned to their home countries. Some have become university professors, while others have gone on to serve as deans or in other academic leadership positions. Today, they are sending a new generation of students to Sangmyung University.

On a recent overseas trip, I had the opportunity to reunite with some of these former students, now professors and deans in their respective countries. During an event, a promotional video about Sangmyung University was shown. As they watched scenes of the university they once attended, many alumni were moved to tears, overcome by memories of their student days.

Watching them, I was reminded that the time we once shared had not simply faded into the past. It had settled into memory; It had deepened into jeong. And that jeong had remained alive through the years, taking root, growing deeper and creating new connections across generations.

I believe the global popularity of Korean culture, the growing affinity that people around the world feel toward Korea, and the increasing number of young people who come here to visit and study can also be understood in this way. They are, in part, the fruits of relationships patiently cultivated over time.

Now that the number of international students in Korea has surpassed 300,000, our attention must extend beyond quantitative growth. We need to ask a more important question: How can we ensure that the precious years these students spend in Korea become not only academically meaningful, but also personally fulfilling and rewarding?

That young people from countries with diverse traditions and cultures regard Korea with such interest and affection is both a blessing and an invaluable opportunity for our universities. Korea’s rapid industrial and technological development, and the economic progress built upon it, have undoubtedly played an important part in creating this attraction.

However, technology and economic achievement alone do not tell the whole story. Equally meaningful have been our efforts to introduce international students to Korean culture, to welcome them into our communities and, above all, to build with them the distinctive human bond of jeong.

We should make the most of this opportunity. Alongside Korea’s technological excellence, we should offer young people from around the world the opportunity to experience the warmth of jeong. If the bonds they form with Korea are nourished not only by knowledge and technology but also by genuine human connection, those relationships can endure long after their studies have ended.

By adding jeong to technology, Korea can build deeper and more lasting relationships with the wider world — relationships that continue to grow and bear fruit for generations to come.

Kim Chong-hee is the president of Sangmyung University.

祥明大学校长金钟熙认为，韩国在科技和教育领域取得的成就源于数十年的坚持不懈和人与人之间的紧密联系。政府的“留学韩国30万项目”目标已经提前实现，预计明年国际学生人数将接近40万。金钟熙表示，大学应该将科技与人文关怀相结合，让学生融入社区，建立长久的个人关系。

韩国教育部于 2023 年启动了“留学韩国 30 万项目”，目标是到 2027 年吸引 30 万国际学生。

今年韩国的国际学生人数超过30万，预计明年将接近40万。

Kim 将“情”描述为一种深厚的感情和依恋，这种感情和依恋是通过相处的时间而产生的，并且在时间流逝之后仍然存在。

在祥明大学结下深厚情谊的国际学生回到家乡后，成为了教授、院长和其他学术领导者，其中一些人现在还向这所大学输送学生。

金回忆起祥明大学的各项活动，包括制作泡菜、分享节日餐点、唱歌以及为国际学生提供保暖外套。

发布于2026年10月13日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

祥明大学校长金钟熙 / 《韩国时报》资料图

今年，韩国半导体公司的总营业利润预计将远超500万亿韩元（约合3730亿美元），达到前所未有的水平。有人将这种非凡的业绩比作中彩票，但我有不同的看法。

我认为，我们今天所见证的并非偶然，而是数十年来坚持不懈、牺牲奉献的结晶。众所周知，自上世纪70年代以来，无数企业、工程师和技术人员为韩国半导体产业的崛起奠定了基础。经过近半个世纪的辛勤耕耘，他们播下的种子终于结出了丰硕的果实。

韩国国际学生人数的快速增长也体现了类似的长期投入。2023年，韩国教育部启动了“留学韩国30万项目”，目标是在2027年前吸引30万国际学生。该目标已提前实现，今年在韩国际学生人数已超过30万。预计明年这一数字将接近40万——几乎与韩国高中毕业生进入大学的人数相当。

这种显著的增长并非一蹴而就，也并非偶然。正如近期出版的《韩流幕后英雄》一书生动描述的那样，它是韩国大学教育工作者和文化艺术领域专业人士数十年辛勤耕耘的成果。他们多年来默默奉献，如今终于开始结出硕果。

多年来，我在祥明大学与国际学生共度的时光里，留下了许多珍贵的回忆。我至今仍记得与国际学生、教职工一起制作泡菜的情景，我们不仅分享了成品，更分享了彼此相聚的简单快乐。每逢中秋节和其他传统节日，当一些学生远离家人时，我们便会聚集在大学食堂，共享一顿特别的节日大餐。我弹着尤克里里，大家一起唱歌，其中就包括那首因电影《同志也疯狂》而广为人知的中国经典歌曲《甜甜》。

农历新年期间，我们准备了小份的年糕，挂在学生宿舍的门把手上。我还记得当时看到一些留学生在韩国严寒的冬天里衣不蔽体，感到很担心。我们给他们买了长长的羽绒服，帮他们御寒，他们脸上的喜悦至今仍让我记忆犹新。

回想起来，这些都是些简单的举动。但我相信，正是通过这些平凡的时刻——一起做饭、一起吃饭、一起唱歌、互相照顾——我们之间逐渐形成了一种更深层次的情感：韩国人称之为“情”，一种深厚的感情和依恋，它在相处的时间里悄然滋长，并在时光流逝后依然长存。

许多与我们建立深厚情谊的国际学生如今已返回祖国。有的成为大学教授，有的担任院长或其他学术领导职务。如今，他们又将新一代学生送往祥明大学深造。

最近一次海外旅行中，我有幸与一些昔日的学生重聚，他们如今已成为各自国家的教授和院长。在一次活动中，播放了一段关于祥明大学的宣传片。当他们看到曾经就读的校园画面时，许多校友感动得热泪盈眶，学生时代的点点滴滴涌上心头。

看着他们，我意识到我们曾经共度的时光并没有就此消逝，而是深深地烙印在记忆中，化作了情谊。这份情谊历经岁月洗礼，生根发芽，不断深化，并在代际之间建立起新的联系。

我认为，韩国文化在全球范围内的流行、世界各地人们对韩国日益增长的亲近感，以及越来越多的年轻人来韩国旅游和学习，也可以从这个角度来理解。它们在某种程度上都是长期耐心培育各种关系的成果。

如今，韩国的国际学生人数已超过30万，我们不能再只关注人数增长，而应该思考一个更重要的问题：如何确保这些学生在韩国度过的宝贵时光不仅在学术上富有意义，而且在个人成长方面也充实而有意义？

来自拥有不同传统和文化的国家的年轻人对韩国抱有如此浓厚的兴趣和喜爱，这既是我们的福气，也是我们大学面临的宝贵机遇。韩国快速的工业和技术发展，以及由此带来的经济进步，无疑在营造这种吸引力方面发挥了重要作用。

然而，科技和经济成就本身并不能说明全部问题。同样重要的是，我们致力于向国际学生介绍韩国文化，欢迎他们融入我们的社区，尤其重要的是，与他们建立起独特的“情谊”（jeong）。

我们应该充分利用这个机会。除了韩国卓越的科技实力，我们也应该让世界各地的年轻人有机会体验韩国的人文情怀。如果他们与韩国建立的联系不仅建立在知识和技术之上，更建立在真挚的人际关系之上，那么这些关系就能在他们结束学业后长久维系。

通过将“jeong”（技术）融入科技，韩国可以与更广阔的世界建立更深入、更持久的关系——这些关系将不断发展，并为子孙后代带来丰硕成果。

金钟熙是祥明大学的校长。