Nine Months of Intensive App Development Training in Pohang
Trainees Showcase Their Own Creations
Apps for Investigation and Healthcare Draw Attention
Services Designed with Socially Disadvantaged Users in Mind
On the afternoon of November 27, the Apple Developer Academy at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, was bustling with activity. Operated jointly by Apple and POSTECH, this so-called "Apple School" is dedicated to nurturing app developers for the Apple ecosystem. Selected trainees undergo about nine months of training, culminating in a showcase event where they present the apps they have developed themselves. Apple currently operates 18 academies worldwide, and this Pohang location is the only one in East Asia.
This year, the fourth cohort consisted of approximately 180 participants, selected from across the country. Their backgrounds were diverse, including not only university and graduate students but also office workers and experienced professionals. Participants ranged in age from as young as 19 to as old as 53, and women made up 54% of the trainees, surpassing half for the first time.
On the 27th, the Apple Developer Academy Showcase is being held at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Pohang, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Lee Myunghwan
The Apple Developer Academy is operated entirely free of charge. The intellectual property (IP) rights for the apps developed by the trainees are also retained by the trainees themselves. The curriculum covers coding, design, and professional skills. In the initial phase, students build foundational skills, then develop expertise in their areas of interest. Trainees gain hands-on experience developing various apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems (OS), all based on Apple's programming language, Swift. Apple provides all necessary equipment for practical training, including MacBooks and iPhones.
At the showcase event held that day, 30 teams exhibited their newly created apps. The apps developed by the trainees are available for download through the Apple App Store. The app categories were diverse, spanning environment, daily convenience, education, healthcare, and industrial productivity. Notable examples included "Susa24," which analyzes suspects' communication records and activity patterns in real time to suggest investigative strategies, and "Egoyak," which helps users find foreign medications with the same ingredients as those sold in Korea.
Several apps designed for socially disadvantaged groups also stood out. "BusOnda," for example, guides visually impaired users to the correct bus using voice and object recognition, while "EodiRoad" provides step-by-step card-based navigation for middle-aged and older users who find map apps complicated.
Some apps received high praise from experts. "HIPPO," developed by the TeleVIsion team, allows medical staff to view 3D models of patients' organs in front of their eyes using Apple's extended reality (XR) device, Vision Pro. Professor Oh Namgi of the Transplantation Surgery Department at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul commented, "I think the technology is already sufficiently usable as it stands," adding, "I hope that more AI-based apps will be developed in the future so that many people can use these technologies in operating rooms."
Alumni of the Apple Developer Academy also attended the event to share their experiences. Lee Gaeun, a first cohort graduate and solo developer who created and operates the social networking service (SNS) story decoration app "CHAKK" and the diary app "Cherish," said, "I developed Cherish based on my own experiences of keeping a diary," and added, "At the Apple Developer Academy, I met colleagues and we helped each other improve where we were lacking." The CHAKK app developed by Lee currently ranks first or second among paid apps on Apple's iOS App Store.
Susan Prescott, Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, stated, "Korea is at the heart of a vibrant developer community," and added, "We are truly proud to support the journeys of these talented individuals who are making the world a better place."
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