"Skip College and Take the Express to Samsung and SK hynix": Crowds Flock to Semiconductor High School Admissions Briefing

Unprecedented Interest as 96 Freshmen to Be Recruited Next Year
All 340 First-Floor Auditorium Seats and Additional Seats Filled

Amid an unprecedented boom in the domestic semiconductor industry, parents and students from across the country flocked to the entrance information session for semiconductor high schools.

Chungbuk Semiconductor High School Entrance Information Session. Yonhap News.

According to Yonhap News on July 10, the entrance information session held that day at Chungbuk Semiconductor High School in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, was filled to capacity with parents and students even before it began. The school, which was recently featured in The New York Times (NYT), saw the 340 seats on the first floor of the auditorium, as well as additional seats in the back, packed with attendees, reflecting the heightened national interest in semiconductors. There was reportedly no room to stand.

On this day, parents and students who had come from all over the country—including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Busan, Ulsan, and North Jeolla—waited for the session to start by perusing pamphlets containing school information or conversing with each other.

Ms. Lee (in her 40s), who came from Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, told Yonhap News in an interview, "I think that getting a job at a company like Samsung Electronics or SK hynix might be a better choice for my child than going to university," adding, "Since there was an information session, I took a day off and came with my child."

Choi Hongshik (51), who attended the session with his third-year middle school son, said, "My child has grades good enough to go to university, but seeing the growth potential of the semiconductor industry, we decided on this career path," and added, "In order to find a school with high employability, we are attending semiconductor high school information sessions not only here but in various regions."

Choi Hyerim (15), a third-year middle school student who came with a friend, said, "In Eumseong, Chungbuk Semiconductor High School is well-known as a school where many students get jobs at large companies like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix," adding, "I really want to get in, so I am focusing on preparing for the interview."

Once the session began, attendees took notes as the school presented its curriculum, employment statistics, and corporate partnership programs. During the Q&A session that followed, questions were asked about dormitory life, the admissions process, employment-linked programs, and the school's track record of students finding jobs at large companies.

Kim Sunbin, a current student at Chungbuk Semiconductor High School, said, "It seems that interest in the school has grown much more compared to when I entered," adding, "When I talk with friends from other specialized high schools, they say that it's really hard to get into the companies that many students from our school join, which is why I think there is so much interest in our school."

Since its opening in 2010, Chungbuk Semiconductor High School has maintained an employment rate of over 95% every year. Beginning in October, the school will recruit 96 new students for the 2027 academic year: 84 through the general admissions process and 12 through the special admissions process.

Seo Woonseok, principal of Chungbuk Semiconductor High School, said, "We have maintained a high employment rate by partnering with more than 150 semiconductor companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and this has attracted the interest of students and parents," adding, "We will continue to provide full support so that students can get jobs at the companies they wish to join."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.