Sowing Time and Weaving Stories

– The Past and Future of the Korea University Business School’s 120th Anniversary Projects 

Korea University Business School (KUBS) is marking its 120th anniversary in 2025 with a series of commemorative initiatives. First launched in 2022, the anniversary project is currently led by the 120th Anniversary Project Committee, chaired by Professor Hojung Shin, and encompasses a wide range of academic and cultural programs with lasting significance. 

The first initiative took place in April 2022, with the creation of a symbolic green space in front of the KUBS main building. Trees such as wild plum, pagoda, and Korean pine were planted, transforming the KUBS campus into a space that evokes its historical legacy and identity. In May of the same year, the sculpture Relatum – The Location by renowned artist Lee Ufan, was installed in front of the KUBS main building, bringing greater artistic depth to the campus. Then in November, 120 Years of KUBS: An Oral History—featuring the recorded voices of honorary professors—was published, contributing to the preservation and enrichment of the school’s historical record. 

In 2025, a series of academic and cultural projects are being carried out to further commemorate this historic milestone. In May, Korea University Business School: 120 Years and Beyond, a special commemorative pictorial book, was published. What makes this publication unique is its artistic reinterpretation of key moments in KUBS history through watercolor illustrations—offering a creative and emotionally resonant perspective on the school’s 120-year legacy. 

KUBS traces its origins to 1905 as the Department of Commerce at Bosung College and is the only college that has shared Korea University’s 120-year journey since its founding. As the first institution to offer business education in Korea, KUBS has played a pioneering role in advancing the field of business studies nationwide. The commemorative pictorial book is organized into four balanced chapters—△Bosung College (1905–1945), △College of Commerce and Economics (1946–1976), △KUBS (1977–2004), and △Global KUBS (2005–present)—featuring 120 key events and scenes illustrated in watercolor. 

The main illustrations were created by Professor Youngsun Jin, an honorary professor  in School of Art & Design, while select scenes were digitally illustrated by the 120th Anniversary Pictorial Student Committee using AI tools. The content of the book is based on records from A Centennial History of KUBS by Professor Emeritus Soosik Shin, and was planned and reviewed by the 120th Anniversary Project Committee to ensure editorial and historical accuracy. Going beyond a simple retrospective, KUBS: 120 Years and Beyond serves as a foundation for imagination and insight toward the next 120 years. The book is currently on public display at the KUBS History Hall on the first floor of the Hyundai Motor Hall. 

In August, The Path of Business: A Civilizational History of Korea University Business School’s 120 Years will be released. Also in August, the KUBS Imagination Contest will be held, offering total prizes of 6 million KRW. Under the theme “Mapping the Future: Business Society in 60 Years,” the contest invites students to unleash their imagination and creativity by envisioning the world 60 years from now. The selected entries will serve as foundational material for discussions at the 120th Anniversary Forum on Friday, September 26, where invited experts will explore “The Future of Business and Business Studies.” All Korea University students are eligible to participate and may apply via the KUBS website by Friday, August 15. 

September will feature a wide range of engaging events. Beginning on Thursday, September 25, the student-led KUBS festival Hosang Daedongjae will take place, followed by the official 120th Anniversary Forum – The Future of Business and Business Studies hosted by the business school on Friday, September 26. A panel of young entrepreneurs, corporate HR executives, and academic leaders will freely discuss the future direction of business and business education, drawing on student-generated visions of the world 60 years from now. The forum will feature a keynote lecture by Professor Youngheon Cho, historian and author of The Path of Business, along with the final round of the Imagination Contest, panel discussions, and a garden party. In the evening, a celebration hosted by the K-MBA Student Association will conclude the day’s festivities. 

The 120th anniversary project goes beyond a mere retrospective; it serves as a platform to solidify KUBS’s identity and articulate its vision for the future. This was symbolically demonstrated during the 120th Anniversary Ceremony in May, where Dean Eonsoo Kim presented the school’s academic road map and development strategy. At the event, Dean Kim introduced the “Next Intelligence” vision, which aims to lead the future by integrating Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence. A key space for realizing this vision is the soon-to-be-established “3C 4Tech Trading Zone” within the KUBS campus. 

Dean Kim emphasized that “a creative convergence space that dismantles the boundaries between technology, business, and art is essential for nurturing future talent,” adding that “the Trading Zone will be an open platform where students, companies, startups, and artists can freely collaborate, experiment, and grow together.” 

The Trading Zone will feature a 3C Café offering refreshments, transparent whiteboards for open ideation, an Open Theater showcasing cultural content every Friday, an Art Sculpture that fuses technology and visual art, and art–multimedia studios. This space will serve as an Experiential Learning Place where students from business, engineering, and design collaborate in teams to identify and solve real-world challenges, working alongside startups and companies. Dean Kim emphasized that the Trading Zone will become a springboard for positioning KUBS as a hub for cultivating creative talents grounded in 4Tech innovation, expressing a strong commitment to driving innovation in future-oriented education. 

Marking a significant turning point, Korea University Business School is leveraging its 120th anniversary as a springboard for sustainable change and innovation, collectively driven by its members, as it sets its sights on a bold leap into the next century.