The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 11th created the "Giteukhan Master" (Special Master of Korea for Technical Talent) program to identify teenage and young adult technical talent early.
Until now, the government has awarded the "Master of Korea" certificate to skilled technicians with at least 15 years of experience. But with most masters in their mid- to late 50s, critics have said it is difficult to foster technical talent among people ages 20 to 34.
Giteukhan Master is categorized as ▲ technical member ▲ student member. For technical members, applicants among youths age 34 or younger who have served as national representatives at the WorldSkills Competition can apply to the WorldSkills Athletes' Association and, after recommendation, are finally selected by a review committee. For student members, top prizewinners at the National Skills Competition, top achievers in obtaining national technical qualifications, and holders of patents and inventions in technical fields are recommended by their vocational high school principals, undergo screening by their metropolitan and provincial offices of education, and, once recommended to the labor ministry, are finally selected by a review committee.
Those selected as Giteukhan Masters receive extra points in future selections for Master of Korea, are registered as technical talent on the specialized high school and Meister high school portal system, and can also serve as special lecturers for career education at elementary, middle, and high schools.
Giteukhan Master awardees are honored each year on Sept. 9, Skilled Technicians' Day. As this is the first year of the program, a separate awards ceremony is planned for December. For detailed application guidelines, contact the Global Institute for Transferring Skills at the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea).
Meanwhile, since the Master of Korea program was introduced in 1986, 719 masters have been produced in 38 fields including machine design. Chef An Yu-seong, who appeared on the Netflix series "Culinary Class Wars," was selected as a master in culinary arts.