Lee Jae-yong Emphasizes 'Technology'... Samsung Sponsors National Skills Competition for 18 Consecutive Years

Samsung announced on the 26th that it will sponsor the 59th National Skills Competition to expand the base of high school graduate technical talents and enhance the national industrial competitiveness. This reflects the interest of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who has consistently emphasized the importance of technology.

Samsung signed a 'Skills Promotion Agreement' with the Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2006 and has sponsored the National Skills Competition for 18 consecutive years from 2007 to this year. It supports 250 million KRW annually, selects and awards Samsung Electronics sponsorship prize winners, and contributes to spreading a culture where young technical talents are valued and respected, thereby strengthening South Korea's manufacturing competitiveness.

This year's competition has been held in Gyeongsangbuk-do since the 24th of last month, with about 1,800 participants competing in 50 categories including Polymechanics and Cloud Computing.

On the 26th, participants in the Polymechanics category are performing tasks at the '59th National Skills Competition' held at Gumi Kumo Technical High School.
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

Samsung specially hires some outstanding participants from the National Skills Competition, and until last year, it has hired a total of about 1,600 high school graduate technical talents in Samsung Electronics, Electrical, and Display divisions.

In addition to the National Skills Competition, Samsung also sponsors the WorldSkills Competition to nurture the next generation of technical talents who will contribute to global industrial development. Samsung has consecutively sponsored the event nine times from the 2007 Shizuoka competition in Japan to the upcoming WorldSkills Competition in Lyon this September. Notably, since the 2013 Leipzig competition in Germany, Samsung has participated as the sole 'Overall Event Presenter' sponsor.

Samsung's actions reflect Chairman Lee's special interest and affection for technical talents.

Chairman Lee personally visited the WorldSkills Competition twice, in 2009 and 2022, to encourage the athletes and organizers who have worked hard to advance technology and elevate the nation's status.

At the closing ceremony of the 2022 WorldSkills Special Competition in Goyang, he expressed gratitude, saying, "Young talents are the champions of the technological revolution era and the main actors of Korea's future technology," and "The reason South Korea has developed this much is thanks to young technical talents."

Last year, he visited Gumi Electronics Technical High School and held a meeting with students, discussing their areas of interest and dreams as technical talents. At that time, Chairman Lee said, "Young technical talents are the driving force behind manufacturing competitiveness," and "I will always support the technical talents responsible for on-site innovation."