In mid-February 2025, an academic and education policy exchange delegation led by Dr. Junhyeong Park, a specialist in AI and future education from South Korea’s Kyungpook National University (KNU), visited Hong Kong. unwire.hk had the privilege of planning parts of their itinerary and serving as their interview and reporting partner. Among the highlights, we collaborated with the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to host an education technology exchange conference focused on presenting the delegation two of the Hong Kong edutech solutions, getting feedback, sharing ideas on important educational concerns about AI and digital transformation happening around the education sector, and also exploring future institutional collaboration opportunities between Hong Kong and South Korea. Held on Thursday, February 13, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the HKPC Building, the event not only marked a standout moment of the delegation’s visit but also opened a new chapter for educational innovation between the two regions.
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The conference brought together two local edtech teams funded by Hong Kong’s Quality Education Fund under the e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme (QEF eLAFP): “LingoTask,” an AI-driven, comprehensive English learning and teaching platform developed by [the] Stanley Ho Big Data Decision Analytics Research Centre of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and “Borderless Lab 365,” a 24/7 web-based remote laboratory platform developed by the Department of Applied Physics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The two-hour session unfolded in two main segments. First, representatives from LingoTask and Borderless Lab 365 took turns presenting their projects’ design philosophies, practical demonstrations, development progress, and future plans. Subsequently, Dr. Park’s team requested a 20-minute internal discussion to formulate questions and insights. The final segment featured Dr. Park sharing his perspectives, followed by a Q&A with both teams. The atmosphere buzzed with energy, as educators and tech innovators exchanged ideas, their shared passion for the next generation’s education palpable. As Dr. Park concluded, “Today’s conference marks the beginning of more impactful academic exchange and collaboration between Korea and Hong Kong.”
▲Dr. C. L. Mak, representative of the Borderless Lab 365 team, introduced their online remote laboratory solution to the Korean Education Delegation.
▲Dr. Stephan Stiller, representative of the LingoTask team, presented their AI-driven English learning and teaching platform solution to the Korean Education Delegation
Insights and Sparks from the Dialogue
Dr. Park offered high praise for both Hong Kong edtech solutions, bringing his expertise as an educator to bear with deep insights and probing questions. He expressed admiration and surprise at Borderless Lab 365’s ability to allow students to book 24/7 experimental sessions online, remotely control campus lab equipment, and obtain real-time results, noting that it creates immense educational value. Upon learning it had been adopted by 50 schools, he zeroed in on user feedback: “Has this platform been rolled out in primary and secondary schools? What are the experiences and reactions of teachers and students? Do you think it’s feasible for teachers to use it for in-person classroom demonstrations or even student participation?” He further suggested that digitizing science experiments and integrating learning data with progress tracking, outcomes, and assessment systems could significantly advance personalized learning. Intrigued by its potential synergy with South Korea’s AI Digital Textbook (AIDT), he remarked: “AIDT is a platform that integrates various educational software. It will launch in 2025 for English, math, and IT, expanding to science by 2026. If this solution could be incorporated into AIDT’s tech curriculum, it would deliver tremendous value. Should you be interested in exploring development in Korea, we can facilitate connections with education authorities in Daegu or Gyeongbuk to discuss collaboration possibilities.”
For LingoTask, Dr. Park’s engagement was even more personal, given his linguistics background. “Having taught Korean in high schools back home, I might have some deeper questions for your AI English teaching platform,” he admitted. He found LingoTask’s overall functionality similar to Korea’s AI-driven English systems, with its standout features being a 99.7% accurate Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system, error correction capabilities, and the ability to grade batches of student essays. He raised a critical issue: “Academic assessment is vital in education. In Korea, teachers worry that AIDT fails to align precisely with current evaluation standards, sparking some resistance. Have you faced similar challenges? How do you address integration issues?” He then posed another equally challenging question: “Grammar and spelling errors are easy for AI to handle. But when it comes to creativity—originality, metaphor use, and deeper meaning—these aspects that truly distinguish writing and literary expression remain beyond the reach of current AI assessment tools. What are your thoughts on this? Are there plans for further research in this direction?” He also noted that public concerns about digital textbooks hindering literacy development have kept AIDT from Korean language education, eager to hear LingoTask’s perspective.
▲Professor Park Jun-hyeong from Kyungpook National University in South Korea shared insights and posed thought-provoking questions to the LingoTask and Borderless Lab 365 teams during the Q&A session
▲Dr. Stephan Stiller provided an in-depth discussion on the benefits and challenges AI brings to students’ language skills and learning
From Exchange to Collaboration
At the close, Dr. Park reflected: “I’m no tech expert, but as an educator, I care about effectively applying technology to teaching, avoiding oversight of critical aspects, and identifying areas worth investing in to make AI smarter and drive breakthroughs in future education.” He encouraged ongoing dialogue: “If both teams are interested in expanding to Korea, I’d be happy to connect you with our tech and English education experts to explore localizing your solutions for Korean teachers and students. Today is the start of our collaboration.”
▲Professor Park Jun-hyeong believes that this exchange conference marks an important starting point for academic exchange and cooperation between South Korea and Hong Kong.
▲The Korean Education Delegation took a group photo with the Hong Kong representatives from this conference, including representatives from HKPC Academy, the LingoTask team, the Borderless Lab 365 team, and the unwire editorial team, at the conclusion of the event
Postscript
After returning to Korea, Dr. Park told unwire’s editors that the conference exceeded his expectations, expressing gratitude for our arrangements—a validation that deeply encouraged us. unwire plans to organize more cross-national edtech exchange initiatives, hoping to spark greater interest among Hong Kong readers in how technology shapes the next generation’s education, and looking forward to continued industry support to jointly advance the future of learning.
