Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) will partner with the University of Tsukuba in Japan to jointly operate an international collaborative learning program in which Korean and Japanese students participate together.

JBNU announced that it will host the international collaborative learning program "Korea–Japan Future Factory Forum 2025 in Jeonju," implemented with support from Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), together with the University of Tsukuba.

The program is a field-centered education initiative based in Jeonju in which JBNU students and students from the University of Tsukuba form teams to seek solutions to regional and global social problems.

Participating students will analyze social challenges common to both countries—such as low birthrate and population aging, concentration in the metropolitan area, regional revitalization, and overtourism—through field learning in Jeonju, expert lectures, and presentations by officials from Korean and Japanese government agencies. They will then derive solutions in the form of social business models or policy ideas. Through this process, students are expected to comprehensively develop problem‑finding and problem‑solving abilities, cross‑cultural communication skills, and team collaboration capabilities.

The "Korea–Japan Future Factory Forum" was launched in 2021 and has been operated annually as an official program of the University of Tsukuba since 2023. Until now it was carried out by inviting Korean students to Japan, but this year it will be held in Korea for the first time.

About 30 students from the University of Tsukuba will visit JBNU and, from February 23–27, 2025, conduct field investigations of regional issues in Jeonju together with Korean students and participate in team‑based collaborative learning to develop solutions.

Students who complete the program will be issued an internationally recognized digital credential (Open Badge) through JV-Campus (Japan Virtual Campus), operated by MEXT and the University of Tsukuba.

Professor Geon‑sil Lee of the University of Tsukuba, the program director, said, "This program is significant as the first case held in Korea and as a shift from one‑way to two‑way Korea–Japan student exchange. Through the experience of interpreting regional problems from a global perspective and proposing practical alternatives, Korean and Japanese students are expected to cultivate international awareness and grow into professionals who combine that awareness with a sense of social responsibility."