Expanding Academic Exchange with Arab Universities through Collaboration with a Leading Saudi Institution
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2025-02-18
Sookmyung Women’s University is stepping up in efforts to attract students from Arab regions by strengthening exchange and cooperation with universities in the Middle East.
On Friday, February 14, the school invited the Vice President of Prince Sultan University, the first private university in Saudi Arabia, to discuss a range of cooperative initiatives aimed at enhancing women’s education. The meeting was attended by President Moon Si-yeon of Sookmyung Women’s University; Kim Jung-seop, Chair Professor at the Division of Global Convergence; Heba Bakr Khoshaim, Vice President of Prince Sultan University; and Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Aldayel, Director of the Saudi Cultural Center.
Prince Sultan University, located in Riyadh, is the first private university established in Saudi Arabia. Founded with prominent support from Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the institution is recognized as one of the Middle East’s leading universities. It was ranked 401st in the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, received a QS 5 Stars rating, and placed 101st worldwide in the Business Administration category of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Prince Sultan University has demonstrated a strong interest in Korea and the Korean language, to the point of offering on-campus non-degree Korean Language programs. During the visit, the Saudi delegation expressed interest in pursuing various exchange and cooperation programs with Sookmyung Women’s University.
President Moon Si-yeon and Vice President Heba Bakr Khoshaim of Prince Sultan University
During the meeting, which lasted for approximately 30 minutes, participants discussed broad partnership opportunities, including joint academic and research programs, faculty exchanges, and visiting student programs. Prince Sultan University also reportedly proposed inviting President Moon to Saudi Arabia later this year to formalize an agreement.
Sookmyung Women’s University plans to continue discussions through ongoing cooperation with the Saudi Cultural Center in Korea and to use this engagement as a stepping stone for expanding exchanges with universities in the Arab regions. President Moon stated, “By leveraging the cultural capital of the ‘Hallyu’ Korean Wave, the university will strive to achieve positive outcomes in attracting students with a great interest in Korean culture from Middle Eastern universities, in addition to existing partnerships with universities in Southeast Asia.”