Korea National Open University (President Ko Song-hwan, KNOU) held a meeting with a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at the headquarters of KNOU in Seoul. The visit aimed to share national educational policies and promote mutual understanding between the two countries.

The Japanese delegation, led by Ms. Akiko Ono (Deputy Director-General for International Affairs at MEXT), included officials such as Mr. Yuki Shigeta (Deputy Director) and Ms. Saki Makanae (Unit Chief). Mr. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (First Secretary) and Mr. Daehyun An (Investigator) from the Embassy of Japan in Korea also attended, along with Dr. Eunjong Ra (Director) and Ms. Soobeen Cho (Assistant Director) from the Korean Ministry of Education. Representing KNOU were Young Jae Chang, Dean, Office of Planning Affairs, Jae Hyung Kim, Dean, Office of International Affairs, Chang Yeul Yang, Team Head of International Affairs, and Ivy Eunhee Lee, Program Specialist.

During the meeting, both parties engaged in in-depth discussions on four key themes: the promotion of ICT in education, improvement of teachers’ working conditions, curriculum to foster children’s potential, and institutional infrastructure for adult lifelong learning. The Japanese delegation expressed particular interest in KNOU's quality assurance system and the credit recognition procedures of the Academic Credit Bank System (ACBS).

Jae Hyung Kim, Dean, Office of International Affairs at KNOU, stated that he was pleased to introduce Korea's excellent distance education system to Japanese officials and looked forward to maintaining a friendly relationship for the educational advancement of both nations.

KNOU Blog Article: [KNOU Field Sketch] Meeting with the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)