Korea considers opening National Skills Competition to foreigners

INCHEON — Labor authorities said they will consider opening the country’s top vocational skills competition to foreign nationals, as demand grows for highly skilled overseas workers in manufacturing and other industries.

Lee Byoung-hoon, president of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea), a government agency overseeing the National Skills Competition, said Tuesday that the agency would consult relevant ministries on expanding eligibility for the annual state-run event.

“Because this would require a review and amendment of relevant laws and regulations, we will discuss the matter with the ministries of labor and justice when the opportunity arises,” he said.

Currently, foreigners are eligible to compete in regional skills competitions but are barred from participating in the national event under the Act on Encouragement of Skilled Crafts, which limits eligibility to Korean citizens.

Mun Hyun-tae, a senior official in charge of global affairs at HRD Korea, said allowing foreign nationals to enter the national competition could help revitalize skills contests both on local and national levels and expand participation.

Rather than immediately opening the national competition to foreigners, he suggested the idea of establishing a step-by-step route through regional contests, which are already open to noncitizens.

“Those who compete and place in regional competitions could be given a pathway to the national event after consultations with the Ministry of Justice on their visa status and other immigration-related arrangements,” Mun said.

Officials said calls to allow foreign nationals to compete in the National Skills Competition have persisted for more than 10 years. Such demands have grown as foreigners account for an increasingly large share of the manufacturing workforce, they said.

The 61st National Skills Competition, co-hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, as well as Incheon city authorities, began Saturday and runs through Friday at six venues across the city.

A total of 1,677 representatives from cities and provinces, all of whom placed in regional skills competitions, are competing in 51 skilled trades, including mold making, welding and cooking. Industrial-drone control and cybersecurity were newly added as official events this year in response to growing demand for advanced technologies, officials said.

At the Songdo Convensia Convention Center, participants worked at rows of individual stations under its high ceiling. Visitors watched from behind barriers as they baked pastries, assembled garments, handled tools and styled hair. At one booth, a woodcraft technician showed visitors small wooden inlay pieces, highlighting the fine geometric patterns.

Two outstanding winners selected from among the first-place finishers in each trade will receive the President’s Award and the Prime Minister’s Award, respectively. Top performers will also be eligible to enter national-team trials for the 49th WorldSkills Competition, which will be held in Aichi, Japan, next year. They will also be exempted from the practical examination for the industrial engineer certificate in their respective trades.