VANK, led by Director Park Gi-tae, announced on July 14, 2026, the launch of “World Changership” (https://worldchangership.one/), a game-based global citizenship education platform designed to empower teenagers and young adults to take the lead in solving global challenges.
Unlike traditional global citizenship education, which typically relies on textbooks and lectures to deliver knowledge, World Changership adopts a game format familiar to the digital generation. The platform allows users to actively engage with global issues, experience their urgency firsthand, and explore practical solutions through interactive gameplay.
The platform begins by highlighting what VANK describes as the Western-centric bias of artificial intelligence (AI) systems developed by major U.S. technology companies, including Gemini and ChatGPT.
It criticizes AI models for overlooking the indigenous cultures of the Global South—including Mosi-oa-Tunya, the original name for Victoria Falls used by Indigenous communities in Zambia and Zimbabwe—while also distorting information about Korea’s Dokdo and the East Sea.
Players take on the role of global navigators aboard a fictional luxury cruise ship called the Neo Humanitas. Missions are played in a real-time, five-minute “time attack” format similar to Tetris.
If players fail to address 10 major global crises—including climate disasters, lack of clean water and sanitation, gaps in healthcare, the spread of extremism, and the collapse of marine ecosystems—within the time limit, the ship sinks.
Rather than relying on decisions made by major powers, players are encouraged to develop innovative solutions using technology and creative ideas. They can propose policies such as remote healthcare services or lead global campaigns by working with Korea’s 200 million Hallyu fans and seven million overseas Koreans.
Players who successfully overcome every crisis and achieve a Global Trust Score of 100 receive a One-Person International Organization Secretary-General Certificate, which can be shared on social media.
“We hope young people move beyond passive learning and become confident problem-solvers who help rescue our struggling world through the interactive experience of gaming,” said VANK Director Park Gi-tae.
VANK said it plans to introduce the platform as a standard model for game-based global citizenship education through special lectures at elementary, middle, and high schools across Korea, as well as at Korean language schools for overseas Koreans around the world.