16 MZ Employees United for a New Dongdaemun-gu

[Seoul District News] Dongdaemun-gu Holds Launch Ceremony on the 14th to Operate 'Dongdaemun-gu Superhero' with Junior Board Introduction & 16 MZ Generation Employees Regularly Meet to Discover Fresh Policies for Local Change... Seocho-gu Holds 'Seocho AI College Presentation and Graduation Ceremony' on the 16th to Foster Talent Leading the 4th Industrial Revolution Era

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Do as you please, I hope this gathering feels like play. The future of Dongdaemun-gu lies with the employees.”

On the 14th, Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, conveyed the purpose of the meeting to the 16 young employees gathered at the Dongdaemun-gu Superhero inauguration ceremony.

Mayor Lee, who is continuing efforts to transform Dongdaemun-gu, proposed the introduction of a junior board immediately after taking office to bring new energy to the organization.

The Dongdaemun-gu Superhero, composed of 16 young employees appointed within the last 3 to 5 years, will freely continue meetings and discussions to discover innovative ideas related to organizational culture and policies.

The MZ generation employees in charge of audit, publicity, culture, jobs, cleaning, vehicle management, construction management, and civil affairs at the community service center met for the first time at the inauguration ceremony and attended a lecture on junior board success strategies. Afterwards, the employees decided on themes such as creating pleasant, walkable streets aligned with Dongdaemun-gu’s operational policies of cleanliness, safety, and transparency; establishing a desirable workplace environment through a transparent and rational personnel system; and fostering a horizontal organizational culture. They agreed to develop policies through future meetings.

An employee participating in Superhero said, “Usually, young employees don’t have many opportunities to voice their opinions in the organization, so I am looking forward to freely expressing ideas and experimentally proposing policies through this opportunity.”

Mayor Lee Pil-hyung said, “I hope everyone gathered here freely decides all the rules themselves, such as topics, team leaders, and meeting frequency, and enjoys this like play without grandiosity, discovering many creative ideas that can change Dongdaemun-gu.”

Project Preparation Site by Team

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced that on the 16th, it will hold the ‘Seocho AI College Presentation and Completion Ceremony’ in the district office’s main conference room to nurture talent leading the 4th Industrial Revolution era.

The 30 graduates will undergo one-on-one coaching and then work as interns for three months at companies related to the 4th Industrial Revolution starting next month.

‘Seocho AI College’ is a practical education program focused on technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution era such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, providing a one-stop connection to employment. The district has been conducting this program in collaboration with KAIST SW Education Center since 2019.

Since April, the district has conducted 24 weeks of education in three stages: basic course, advanced course, and portfolio project. Starting with 456 students in the basic class, the program graduates 30 outstanding students who completed the advanced course. The 30 final graduates receive certificates signed by the KAIST president on this day.

The graduates are young people aged between 20 and 39, with 70% being non-majors.

They formed five teams and developed various software utilizing AI technologies such as AI, big data, and full-stack development. Representative projects include the voice phishing detection app ‘WATCH MAN,’ makeup recommendation service ‘You Can Makeup,’ AI model predicting crude oil prices ‘Oil Price Mate,’ fashion recommendation ‘Deep Ocean,’ and abandoned dog matching recommendation system ‘Saving Dog.’ The graduates showcase the results of their education through presentations and demonstrations on this day.

Mentors with master’s and doctoral degrees from KAIST conducted weekly team mentoring every Saturday. Especially, graduates in the final stage dedicated themselves to program development 24/7 at shared offices on weekdays and weekends without time constraints alongside their mentors.

The district provides interview opportunities at 4th Industrial Revolution-related companies for the graduates to be hired as interns and supports wages for companies hiring interns to promote youth job creation.

One graduate completing the program said, “Working on projects with friends of various majors and ages led to good results. This education seems to be a turning point that makes my dream of becoming a software developer a reality.”

Since 2019, Seocho AI College has produced 53 graduates, of whom 36 completed internships and 12 transitioned to full-time positions.

Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “Seocho-gu is home to Samsung Electronics R&D Campus, LG Electronics, KT research centers, and can be called the forward base of Korea’s 4th Industrial Revolution era. We will continue to strengthen youth employment capabilities through education befitting this status and nurture talent.”