The annual BEST Alliance Symposium, an alliance of major business schools in East Asia, was successfully held on November 14, 2025, at the Seoul National University Business School. This year’s event, attended by approximately 30 deans, faculty members, and staff, was organized as an opportunity for Korea, China, and Japan to explore the future of business education and research collaboration in East Asia.

Seoul National University Business School, as the host of this symposium, led the discussion on the future directions for the three universities in business education, under the theme “Business Education in the Age of AI: What Needs to Change and What Must Remain?” Since its establishment in 2011, the BEST Alliance has expanded on its exchange programs and dual-degree programs among the three countries in East Asia (Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management in China, Hitotsubashi ICS in Japan, and SNU Business School in South Korea).

Main Programs and Highlights

The morning session began with a reflection on collaborative achievements over the past 13 years, particularly the operation of joint research projects, dual MBA degrees, and the DBiA (Doing Business in Asia) Summer Program.

During the afternoon session, lively discussions took place during the academic presentations and the panel discussion, which focused on the theme “Business Education in the Age of AI: What Needs to Change and What Must Remain?” The afternoon session was open to the public and attended by about 70 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, adding energy to the lively discussion among professors from the three universities.

There were eight academic presentations, including SNU Business School Professor Jin Nam Choi’s (SNU Business School) presentation on “How Does Jealousy Benefit Creativity in the Workplace? The Role of Idea Recognition among Employees with Political Skills”, Professor Joon Mahn Lee on “Entrepreneurial Orientation and Entrepreneurial Passion: Effect on Employee Outcomes”, and Professor Sun Hyun Park on “Governance of Trade Associations in Emerging Markets – A Comparative Case Study in China.”

The keynote speech and panel discussions were chaired by Professor Byungjoon Yoo at the SNU Business School. The event began with a keynote speech by SNU Business School Dean Joon Chae, followed by panelists Professor Kyoungwon Seo (Seoul National University), Professor Fujikawa Yoshinori (Hitotsubashi University), and Professor Qiaowei Shen (Peking University), who discussed the topic “Business Education in the Age of AI: What Needs to Change and What Must Remain?”

Key Features of the 2025 Symposium

Strengthening AI Leadership: The program was structured to address the influence and challenges of AI and big data on business education, enabling participants to explore practical models applicable to educational settings.

More Student Participation: Moving beyond its previous focus on deans and professors, the event created a dynamic forum for discussion by inviting undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students to participate in panel discussions.

Significance of Hosting in South Korea: Hosting this event in Seoul provided an opportunity to reaffirm Korea’s global standing in business education and to strengthen networks among partner universities in Korea and abroad.

Future Goals and Expectations

Through this symposium, SNU Business School reached a consensus to establish the “global standard in business education in Asia.” The BEST Alliance plans to develop high-quality exchange and dual-degree programs, co-develop educational content, and strengthen industry-university collaboration projects.

The participants agreed that “we should go beyond simple exchanges and become an alliance that produces substantial output,” with an emphasis on expanding student exchange opportunities.

The next symposium in 2026 will be held at Hitotsubashi ICS in Japan.

Concluding Remarks

With 13 years of history, the BEST Alliance Symposium stands among East Asian business schools as a symbol of alliance for “the very best.” This year’s Seoul symposium redefined the term “cooperation” amid rapid change, establishing it as a platform for the next generation of Asian leaders.

SNU Business School looks forward to the future of business education that will be jointly developed with Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management and Hitotsubashi ICS.