AI Training Becomes Central Pillar of Korea’s Future Labor Policy (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to provide artificial intelligence (AI) job-training to more than one million people by 2030, the government announced Thursday, outlining an expansive workforce initiative aimed at preparing the labor market for rapid technological change.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor unveiled the plan — titled the “AI+ Competency-Up Project” — during a meeting of science and technology ministers in Seoul. The strategy reflects a growing view inside the government that successful AI adoption hinges less on software and hardware than on cultivating workers who can use the technology effectively.
The ministry will allocate roughly 2.5 trillion won out of next year’s 2.7-trillion-won vocational training budget to AI-related programs, enabling 230,000 people to receive training in 2025 alone. Over the next five years, more than one million job seekers, mid-career workers and older employees will receive AI training.
For young job seekers, the government will expand AI-literacy and job-application courses through the country’s flagship K-Digital Training program, upgrading it to produce domain-specific AI engineers. A new “KDT AI Campus” will train 10,000 industry-ready specialists, with higher stipends offered to participating youth.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Workers already in the labor market will gain access to tailored AI programs. The ministry will identify small and medium-size firms that want to adopt AI, assess their needs and link them to customized training through newly designated regional “AI Training Expansion Centers.” These centers will cultivate private-sector instructors with expertise in both industry operations and AI.
Training for mid-career and older workers will also expand. Employment centers, regional workforce boards and polytechnic universities will introduce AI-focused courses to help older workers pivot into new roles.
To support long-term capacity building, the government will create four “physical AI labs” tied to regional industries and designate 20 new shared AI training centers that will allow small businesses access to AI infrastructure owned by large firms. An “AI instructor academy” will train educators capable of teaching advanced AI skills.
Generative AI is permeating every corner of daily life. (Yonhap)
The ministry will also collaborate with other agencies — including the industry, science and SME ministries — to connect trainees with startups, coordinate AI-curriculum sharing across platforms, and integrate AI training with employment programs.
A broader “AI Job Policy Roadmap” assessing the impact of AI on employment will be released in the first half of next year.
“AI must be a tool that expands opportunities for everyone,” Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said. “We will ensure that workers at every stage — from job seekers to mid-career employees — can strengthen their AI capabilities and thrive in the transition ahead.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
