"Rural Revolution" Haenam Children Rise at International AI Competition

Silver and Bronze in AI Robot Competition's Autonomous Racing

Young Coders Create Algorithms

"Future Leaders in the Making"

Haenam County in South Jeolla Province has achieved international recognition for its future talent cultivation project, which has been promoted in line with its designation as a pilot district for the "Special Educational Development Zone."

It is being evaluated that children from areas with relatively underdeveloped digital educational environments have demonstrated their boundless potential to lead future high-tech industries by winning consecutive awards at international competitions just over a year after beginning their artificial intelligence (AI) studies.

A panoramic view of Haenam County Office.

According to Haenam County on August 15, children from local children's centers in Haenam County won the silver and bronze medals in the AI Racing category at the "3rd International AI Convergence Robot Competition (AIIRC)" held recently in Seoul.

The International AI Convergence Robot Competition is a prestigious global contest in which participants compete in software and robot control skills based on AI and convergent talent education. The AI Racing category, in which the children won awards, requires not only basic device operation, but also high-level understanding by collecting and analyzing driving-related data and training deep learning algorithms to be applied in autonomous driving devices.

Two teams (five children) from Neulpureun Children's Center and two teams (six children) from Yedam Children's Center competed, demonstrating the skills they had honed and proudly winning the silver and bronze medals, respectively. It has been reported that the participating children steadily practiced for over three months and built up their capabilities by participating in several simulation contests.

This achievement is the result of close collaboration between Haenam County, local children's centers, and specialized educational institutions. Since being designated as a pilot district for the Special Educational Development Zone in 2024, the county has supported AI education for future generations with the goal of "Nurturing Green Talent Returning to Haenam."

AI education at local children's centers utilizes AI learning devices such as tablets and DeepCobot, as well as specialized instructors, to help children develop foundational AI skills through hands-on learning. Starting with five centers last year, the program has expanded to eleven centers this year. The county continues to strengthen education so that children can develop future capabilities by experiencing AI from an early age.

Currently, Haenam County is actively working to establish the National AI Computing Center, the AI Data Center Park, and an RE100 industrial complex in the Solaseado Corporate City.

As nurturing local talent to match the creation of a future-oriented industrial base has emerged as a vital task, this achievement is seen as a meaningful milestone, signaling that local youth can grow into leaders in high-tech industries.

An official from the county stated, "We are delighted and proud that the infinite potential of Haenam's children has led to the valuable achievement of winning on the international stage," adding, "We will continue to support Haenam’s children so that they can grow beyond local limitations to become leading figures in the future AI era."

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