Hallym University Opens the 'Hallym Institute of Intelligent Social Safety Research (HI-ISSR)'

On Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, Hallym University’s Hallym Institute of Intelligent Social Safety Research (HI-ISSR) held its opening ceremony with key figures from the Gangwon region in attendance, including Hee-sung Yoon, Chair of the Ilsong Educational Foundation; President Choi Yang-hee of Hallym University; Hyun-seok Choi, Commissioner of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency; Sang-kyung Park, Chief of the Chuncheon Police Station; and Jun-tae Hyun, Deputy Mayor of Chuncheon and Head of the AI Policy Promotion Task Force. Core stakeholders from defense and public safety—Tae-ho Oh, Head of the Science and Technology Research Project Group at the Korea Military Academy, and Sung-eun Kim, R&D Director at the Korea Coast Guard—also joined the event. Prior to the ceremony, the institute signed MOUs with Chainalysis Korea, a global leader in virtual-asset crime tracing and analysis, and SKAI Worldwide, a provider of ontology-based AI solutions, to strengthen cybercrime R&D collaboration.

The institute, a flagship initiative of President Choi’s second term and a model of region-to-global research hub development under Hallym’s “Glocal University” program, builds on the university’s selection for the Cyber C.O.P (Crime investigation & Origin tracing & Prevention). With the vision of becoming a leading research institution in advanced science and technology for social safety and criminal investigation, the institute will address emerging threats posed by increasingly sophisticated multi-victim and AI-enabled crimes. As its core strategy C.O.R.E. (Convergence, On-Site, Research, Education), it will tightly link research, education, and practice to advance AI forensics and scientific investigation, while establishing new governance that integrates the public sector, industry, academia, and research around advanced ICT convergence technologies for crime prevention. Chair Hee-sung Yoon remarked, “The purpose of establishing this institute is not to catch criminals, but to prevent crime. I hope it will bridge the gap between the wisdom of investigations born of hands-on experience and the convenience of digital technology, and carry this forward into research and education for future generations.” President Yang-hee Choi added, “We will build the infrastructure to proactively respond to emerging crimes by facilitating governance among the public sector, industry, academia, and research in defense and social safety, and by leading advanced ICT convergence technologies. We will also develop future social safety systems tailored to the specific needs of Gangwon Province.” Commissioner Hyun-seok Choi of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency noted, “This is a meaningful starting point that offers new hope and possibilities for citizens and the police. Research on AI-based investigative support systems and integrated cybercrime analysis systems will become core policing technologies that enhance investigative capability.”