We have entered an era of Artificial Intelligence. The integration of AI in our everyday life is transforming the way we form relationships, work, learn, consume products and services, and enjoy leisure. At the foundation of such transformation lies the shifts in communication methods that are inherent in all human activities. We should, therefore, critically reflect on the accuracy and validity of various communication and media theories that we have become accustomed to when examining how messages are sent and received through certain channels at the personal and social level, which cultural experiences are shaped and shared, and consequently, the psychological, political, cultural and technical changes that are promoted and delayed.

Free and responsible media is a prerequisite to promoting healthy societal communication and democracy. Today, with the surge of COVID-19, the significance of mediated communication has reached new heights. Simultaneously, the crisis of veracity in online communication caused by fake news and misinformation is graver than ever before. Our research group aims to not only accurately interpret and diagnose the reality, but also conduct research that propose solutions based on empirical evidence. Most importantly, we focus on reliability, fairness, and transparency as core values of our work.

The word FOUR of the BK FOUR project is an acronym for Fostering Outstanding University for Research. With this project, I look forward to seeing the Department of Communication at Seoul National University advance as an academic community and achieve exceptional, world-class outcomes in research.

Sincerely,
Chul Joo Lee