LG’s preemptive move is seen as an effort to counter the growing problem of brain drain. The photo shows the LG AI Graduate School commencement ceremony. (Photo courtesy of LG AI Research Institute)
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — LG will launch South Korea’s first company-run graduate school in September to train master’s- and eventually doctoral-level specialists in artificial intelligence, the Ministry of Education announced Sunday.
Approved under a new law designed to bolster the advanced industries workforce, the LG AI Graduate School will open September 30 at K-Square Magok in Seoul. It will initially admit 30 students to a master’s program in artificial intelligence, with classes beginning in March 2026. Graduates will receive degrees equivalent to those awarded by accredited universities.
The program is structured to produce experts with both domain knowledge — industry-specific expertise where AI can be applied — and technical skills. The faculty will include early-career researchers with backgrounds in leading domestic and international institutions, as well as senior staff from LG’s AI Research Institute.
LG has also submitted plans to establish a doctoral program, pending further review by the Education Ministry.
LG AI Talk Concert 2025 (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Until now, South Korean companies could operate only corporate universities, institutions granting degrees equivalent to undergraduate diplomas. The passage of the Special Act on Talent Innovation for Advanced Industries in January expanded that authority to allow in-house graduate schools.
Education officials hailed the initiative as a new model for industry-academia collaboration. “The in-house graduate school system represents a paradigm shift, enabling companies to directly cultivate the high-level talent they need with their own resources,” said Choi Eun-hee, head of talent policy at the Education Ministry.
LG’s initiative comes as South Korea intensifies efforts to secure a pipeline of AI talent to support its ambitions in semiconductors, robotics and next-generation digital industries.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
