Sookmyung Women’s University Hosts AUF’s Francophonie Scientifique en Asie du Nord-Est
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2025-05-26
On Tuesday, May 20, the Francophonie Scientifique en Asie du Nord-Est (Northeast Asia Francophonie Scientific Cooperation Conference) was held at Shinhan Bank Hall on the 6th floor of the Centennial Memorial Hall at Sookmyung Women’s University. The event was organized by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and hosted by Sookmyung.
AUF is the world’s largest university network for French-speaking institutions, with over 1,000 participating universities, grandes écoles, academic networks, and research institutes across 120 countries, and it operates 180 offices in 70 countries.
Organized by the AUF Asia-Pacific regional office in Hanoi, the conference aimed to introduce AUF’s vision and major scientific and educational initiatives in Northeast Asia, foster international dialogue by identifying new opportunities for academic and scientific collaboration, and promote French as a language of research and innovation, while enhancing graduates’ global competitiveness and employability.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Sookmyung President Moon Si-yeon, followed by a greeting from Marguerite Bickel, an official from the French Embassy in Korea. Running from 9 AM to 5 PM, the conference featured in-depth discussions on the AUF’s key regional projects and activities, along with future directions for the development of Francophonie in Northeast Asia.
Key presenters included Professor Nicolas Mainetti, Director of the AUF Asia-Pacific Office; Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, Vice President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Chair of the AUF Asia-Pacific Economic and Scientific Experts Committee (CREES); Nguyen Thanh Hiep, President of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine; Professor Noriyuki Nishiyama of Kyoto University; and Paloma Lafon, Director of the France-China Research Institute at Tongji University in China. The session was moderated by Sophie Undorf-Bouvier, President of the Singapore Association of French Teachers, and featured vibrant presentations and in-depth discussions with experts from across the region.
Sookmyung Women’s University is also actively strengthening ties with AUF through continued engagement, including its participation in the AUF Conference held at Wuhan University in China on May 15. The university plans to further expand collaboration with Francophone institutions in the fields of science and education.
