JBNU Defense AI Bootcamp Project Group (Director Kang Eun-ho) demonstrated top-level technical skill and practical capabilities in South Korea's AI and autonomous driving fields by winning both the competition's highest award, the Grand Prize (Minister of Education Award), and a Bronze Prize at a nationwide autonomous driving competition.

JBNU entered two teams in the '2026 Advanced Industry Talent Bootcamp – Future Mobility & Artificial Intelligence (AI) Autonomous Driving Competition,' held on the 10th at Sungkyunkwan University Natural Science Campus in Suwon Special City, Gyeonggi Province. The event was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Education, the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), and the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Industry Promotion Association (KEA). Both JBNU teams captured the Grand Prize and the Bronze Prize.

Notably, the two JBNU teams had been selected as the university's final representatives after a fierce internal selection process, which adds significance to their achievement on the national stage.

JBNU's ‘휘둥그레’ team (서정빈, 민경우, 강예슬, 노민준, 김예찬, 이종현), which won the overall Grand Prize (Minister of Education Award), demonstrated outstanding driving stability and superior AI performance across all demanding autonomous driving missions—including lap completion time, parking, obstacle avoidance, and pedestrian crossing recognition—securing first place.

The other JBNU team, ‘해물탕’ (장민석, 김재원, 김윤서, 김찬서, 김승현, 강휘석), also earned the Bronze Prize (KEA President's Award) by virtue of stable algorithm design and excellent practical application skills, thereby fully demonstrating the superior educational capabilities of JBNU's Defense AI Bootcamp.

Under the close guidance of Deputy Director Lee Dae-gyu, the JBNU teams showcased flawless technical maturity—from sensor applications to control algorithm optimization—and received high praise from the judging panel. 

The competition was organized to cultivate talent in future mobility and AI advanced industries. After rigorous preliminaries at universities nationwide, 11 project groups and 19 teams were selected to compete in intense competition.

Participating students converted small electric vehicles into AI-based autonomous vehicles, implemented comprehensive sensor data processing, AI algorithm deployment, and vehicle control techniques, and completed the autonomous driving track while performing various obstacle missions.

Kang Eun-ho, Director of JBNU Defense AI Bootcamp Project Group, said, 'I am very pleased that the students' intensive efforts to research and implement cutting-edge AI and autonomous driving technologies have resulted in the major achievement of winning the Grand Prize and the Bronze Prize at a national competition. We will continue to spare no support for training practical core talents who will lead the defense, AI, and future mobility industries.'

Meanwhile, JBNU's Defense AI Bootcamp Project Group is pursuing the program with the aim of developing practical professionals to lead the AI transition of K-defense, based on a cooperative framework among the university, companies, and local governments. In particular, it operates curricula that reflect the needs of the defense industry—such as autonomous mobility systems, defense management and MRO, military AX transition, and cybersecurity—and supports students in acquiring AI technical competencies applicable in actual industry settings through immersive, project- and practice-based education beyond theory-centered instruction.

Additionally, based on collaboration with participating companies, it incorporates corporate demand into the curriculum and establishes an Industry–University Cooperation system that extends to project execution, field training, internships, and job placement. The project focuses on enhancing students' practical experience and adaptability to industrial sites. Through this, it plans to cultivate interdisciplinary talent with simultaneous understanding of AI technologies and the defense industry, and to contribute to the growth of regional advanced industries and the expansion of local settlement and employment opportunities for young talent.