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Yonsei celebrates 140 years, launches initiative to foster future Nobel laureates

Published: 12 May. 2025, 11:31

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Yonsei University holds its 140th anniversary ceremony at its campus in Sinchon, western Seoul, on May 10. [YONSEI UNIVERSITY]

Yonsei University celebrated its 140th anniversary by announcing plans to support student research and foster future Nobel Prize winners through the Next Nobel Project.

The university held a ceremony on Saturday at its Sinchon campus in western Seoul, with around 1,000 university officials, students and alumni in attendance.

“Yonsei’s 140-year history has unfolded alongside the ups and downs of Korea’s modern history, paving a path of hope for the country, our society and humanity,” said Yoon Dong-sup, president of Yonsei University. “Yonsei University will not settle for past success. We will continue to innovate education through our vision of being the first and the best, and expand the boundaries of academic disciplines through cutting-edge research.”

One of the initiatives launched to mark the anniversary is the Next Nobel Project.

Following Han Kang — who graduated from the university’s Department of Korean Literature in 1993 — winning the Nobel Prize in Literature last October, Yonsei created the Next Nobel Project to continue that legacy.

The project aims to build a research environment that supports students in conducting Nobel-caliber research across disciplines such as health care, AI, quantum science, sustainability, the humanities and the arts.

“Alum Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize in Literature is a symbolic event that showcased the history and significant achievements of Yonsei’s literature and humanities to the world,” President Yoon said. “We launched the Next Nobel Project to build on that legacy — expanding our research infrastructure so our achievements can directly contribute to the development of society and industry, while also broadening opportunities for emerging researchers to participate in global research initiatives.”

The university also highlighted its recent achievements, including being selected for seven large-scale national research projects collectively worth 120 billion won ($85.6 million) since 2024. In March, it opened the Yonsei Quantum Complex — a quantum science research center — at its International Campus in Yeonsu District, Incheon, to encourage more research in quantum science fields.

With international exchange partnerships spanning 732 universities in 78 countries, Yonsei University also announced plans to strengthen ties with research-focused universities in Europe.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]