Up to 3 Billion Won in Unprecedented Support for Semiconductors and AI... Jeonnam Gwangju ‘Glotech Schools’ on the Rise

Suncheon Mirae Science, Mokpo Girls’ Commercial, and Suncheon Hyosan High Schools Selected as Second Cohort

Full-scale Departmental Overhaul for Semiconductors and AI Specialization

Establishing a Semiconductor Education Belt in the Eastern and Southwestern Regions

The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education has rolled up its sleeves to fulfill its pledge of "Nurturing Local Talent to Take the Lead Globally." They are accelerating the reform of vocational high schools by newly designating three additional schools as the second cohort of "Jeonnam Glotech Schools," which will foster place-based technical experts to drive local strategic industries.

According to the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education on September 11, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted for five vocational high schools that participated in the "2026 Jeonnam Glotech School (Second Cohort)" selection. As a result, Suncheon Mirae Science High School, Mokpo Girls’ Commercial High School, and Suncheon Hyosan High School were ultimately selected.

Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education

This selection embodies the fruition of the Office's core policies, namely "Education Designed and Completed in the Local Community" and the "Comprehensive Restructuring of Vocational High Schools in Connection with the K-Education Valley." Accordingly, together with the two first-cohort Glotech Schools—Suncheon Technical High School and Yeosu Information Science High School—a total of five Glotech Schools have now established operational systems.

The second cohort of Glotech Schools goes beyond simple industry-academia collaboration, emphasizing full-scale school restructuring and employment pledge agreements. Each school will select a single core strategic industry and dramatically reorganize its departments around job-centered education tailored to that field.

The most notable is Suncheon Mirae Science High School, which will be developed as a "Semiconductor Specialized School." Alongside Mokpo Technical High School and Haenam Technical High School—both previously designated as Meister High Schools—it will form part of a specialized education belt for semiconductors in the eastern and southwestern regions, producing professionals with advanced skills in AI semiconductors (process, equipment, and control) to meet industry demand.

Mokpo Girls’ Commercial High School will transform into an "AI-based Future Service School" in response to the rapidly changing digital industry environment. By combining cutting-edge AI technology with practical entrepreneurship education, the school plans to systematically nurture convergent service talent capable of creating future-oriented corporate value.

Suncheon Hyosan High School will redesign its curriculum around K-culture by focusing on food, dessert, and content business, turning the school into a hub for cultivating practical, convergent talent to drive the global-local cultural industry.

Each selected school will receive up to 3 billion won in extensive financial support over the next six years, including an initial opening preparation fund of 500 million won per school. The Office of Education will establish an organic partnership with the "Future Strategy Industry Talent Team" at the K-Education Integration Promotion Task Force to ensure the successful launch of the semiconductor specialized school. This includes providing advanced, tailored consulting such as linking with the Semiconductor Joint Training Center (Mini Fab) and securing faculty with practical industry experience.

Building on this, the Office of Education plans to take the lead in entering the Ministry of Education's Meister High School and contractual specialized high school pilot models in 2027. In the long term, the Office aims to actively promote the designation of a tentatively named "Jeonnam Gwangju-type Meister High School" suited to the integrated administrative model.

Yang Hoeryong, Head of Career Education, stated, "The selection of the second cohort serves as a crucial bridge to completing the Semiconductor Specialized School and realizing the restructuring of the K-Education Valley. With unwavering administrative and financial support, we will nurture local students as key players in advanced future industries and create a leading model for vocational education in Korea where students build their careers in the community."

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