China Competes in All 64 Categories; Korea in 50—Byung-Hoon Lee Stresses Urgency of Developing Skilled Talent

Byung-Hoon Lee, President of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, stated, "In this era, skilled trades have become even more important, yet it feels like they are becoming increasingly marginalized over time." He added, "It is becoming increasingly difficult even to discover and nurture athletes to compete in the WorldSkills Competition."

President Lee made these remarks during a meeting with reporters at the 48th WorldSkills Competition held in Shanghai, China, on September 23, 2026. This competition encompassed a total of 64 skill categories. While China participated in all 64 categories, Korea dispatched 56 athletes to compete in 50 categories. Japan sent 64 athletes for 56 categories as well. President Lee explained that there needs to be increased public attention and support, given that Korea did not participate in 14 categories and that the participation is increasingly focused on certain strong fields.

Byung-Hun Lee, President of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, is speaking in Shanghai, China, where the 48th WorldSkills Competition was held. Human Resources Development Service of Korea

President Lee stressed, "Although Korea still has strength in certain skills, social attention and various efforts are necessary to address the issue of this concentration and decline." He emphasized that both government and businesses must work together to discover and foster skilled talent.

As a plan to garner more interest and investment in skilled trades, President Lee proposed to once again host the WorldSkills Competition in Korea. It has been 25 years since Korea hosted the competition in 2001. He explained that by hosting and preparing for the event, national-level interest could be heightened and investment and support for skilled trades could be expanded. President Lee remarked, "As the entire country came together and experienced a boost from hosting the WorldSkills Competition in the past, I thought that another event could similarly stimulate investment, support, and further efforts for skilled trades."

Lee also highlighted that skilled trades may become a new competitive edge amid the industrial changes driven by the spread of AI. While AI is quickly replacing or transforming work in knowledge and creative sectors, skilled trades that have been developed through years of experience and repetition may require more time for AI to master. He said, "AI technology may take significant time to reach the level of tacit knowledge embedded in skilled human workers; this could become a competitive advantage for industries and open up new job opportunities."

However, Lee pointed out that when utilizing the experience and know-how of skilled workers as AI training data, it is necessary to achieve a social consensus on how to divide the value and profit generated. If the skills developed by master craftsmen are digitized and used by AI to generate revenue, the rights and compensation of skilled workers must also be discussed. He said, "If AI utilizes data created from a master’s skills and generates profits, there should be a social consensus on how to share those gains." He added, "While we cannot stop AI from increasing productivity, I hope for a social consensus where we share the benefits resulting from reduced work enabled by AI."

Lee also identified helping young people build their careers as a key task for the Service. Beginning next year, the agency plans to launch a pilot program called the 'First Youth AI Career Support Project.' This initiative aims to provide 750 young people with opportunities to gain at least one year and up to two years of experience in AI-related fields. President Lee highlighted the agency’s responsibility to provide opportunities for young people facing barriers to employment to gain their first career experiences.

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