Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) held its 2026 Academic Year Freshman Admission Ceremony on Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Kookmin University Concert Hall. Approximately 500 attendees, including freshmen, parents, the President, and department heads, gathered to celebrate the new beginning of the incoming class.

The first part of this year's ceremony, titled ‘A New Format for Admission,’ drew particular attention. Moving beyond a simple speech-centered format, Kookmin University introduced its history, values, and identity by bringing key university figures to life through AI content. Furthermore, students, using generative AI tools, introduced the direction of Kookmin University's “demand-driven education” and its “boundary-free educational ecosystem” that promotes convergence and challenge beyond the boundaries of majors and departments. They emphasized an educational system that supports the growth and choices of each individual student.

▲ President Jeong Seung Ryul introduces the university's current status during Part 1 of Kookmin University's entrance ceremony.

▲ President Jeong Seung Ryul and the administrative team holding a parent meeting during the second part of the entrance ceremony.

Following this, a program utilizing AI content based on the president's voice was also conducted to report on the university's key developments. This allowed freshmen and parents to concretely understand the values embodied by Kookmin University's ideal student profile, the ‘Challenging Kookmin Person,’ and to gain an engaging visual and auditory understanding of the university's present and future.

Additionally, a video featuring ‘mutual encouragement messages’ from parents and freshmen drew attention. Kookmin University produced and screened two videos: ‘Cheering for Every Moment of Yours,’ a letter-style video from parents of the 2026 academic year freshmen to their children, and ‘My Universe! To My Mom,’ a message video from freshmen to their parents, which received an enthusiastic response from both students and parents. The videos conveyed the excitement and encouragement surrounding admission, along with messages of gratitude exchanged between parents and students, creating a warm atmosphere at the ceremony.

In his congratulatory address, President Jeong Seung Ryul stated, “Kookmin University has established a new vision this year as we celebrate our 80th anniversary,” sharing VISION 2035: EDGE with the freshmen and their parents and presenting the goal of entering the world's TOP 30 and Korea's TOP 8 universities by 2035. He then introduced the 80th anniversary commemorative projects and achievements in securing major national research projects, encouraging the freshmen, “I congratulate you on taking your first step as ‘challenging Kookmin people’ who will change the world.”

Part 2 featured a parent briefing session with President Jeong Seung Ryul and department heads. This year's session collected questions from parents in advance, compiled common concerns, and first provided answers in FAQ format before proceeding to live Q&A.

A Kookmin University official stated, “We structured the event to first guide parents through common questions via FAQs, enhancing information accessibility, and then to directly hear and address more specific concerns during the live Q&A.” They added, “The university administration will actively support new students so they can enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding college life.”