The delegation from KNOU, led by President Song Hwan Ko, participated in the 38th annual conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), held at the Kuntai Glory Hotel in Beijing, China from October 20 to 23, 2025.

The AAOU Annual Conference was hosted by The Open University of China under the theme, “ODL Transformations for Achieving a Sustainable Lifelong Learning Society.” The event provided a platform for member institutions to exchange best practices in distance education, gain insights into the latest educational trends, and foster networking among university presidents and scholars in the field of open and distance learning.

Representing KNOU at the conference were President Song Hwan Ko, Jae Hyung Kim, Dean of the Office of International Affairs, and Chang Yeul Yang, Team Head of the Office of International Affairs. They participated as part of the Executive Committee and engaged with representatives from distance education institutions across Asia. In addition, three KNOU  faculty members attended the conference, presenting the university’s best practices in distance education and contributing to in-depth discussions on the future of open and distance learning.

President Song Hwan Ko stated, “With The Open University of China serving as the AAOU President institution this year, East Asia is emerging as a key hub for collaboration in distance higher education. In this evolving landscape, KNOU, as Korea’s leading distance education institution, should actively participate in AAOU activities to further strengthen our regional engagement.”

Founded in 1987, the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) aims to facilitate information exchange and human resource networking among distance education institutions in Asia.