US-Bound National Technical High School Sprouts at 'CES'... Learning Global Innovative Technologies (Comprehensive)

Jung Won-yong, a third-year student at Gumi Electronics Technical High School (far right), is smiling brightly while cheering with his friends as they participate in the International Robot Olympiad World Competition. Photo by Gumi Electronics Technical High School

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] "I will focus on exploring new technologies in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)."

Jeong Wonyong, a third-year student at Gumi Electronics Technical High School, expressed his excitement ahead of attending the '2020 CES' held in Las Vegas, USA, from the 7th to the 10th. This is his first time visiting both CES and the United States. Jeong said, "I heard many startups participate in CES, so I want to explore a lot."

He won the gold medal at the '2018 International Robot Olympiad World Championship.' Thanks to this achievement, he received support from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and gained the opportunity to attend CES this time. He also won the silver medal (Minister of Education Award) at the '2018 High School Graduate Success Employment Expo Club Competition.'

Jeong is majoring in electronic system control in the electronics department. He said, "I have been interested in programming since middle school. I will graduate next month, and I have been confirmed to join Samsung Electronics DS Division as a facility engineer. I want to become a master recognized by a big company like Samsung Electronics," expressing his aspirations.

This is the first time the Ministry of SMEs and Startups has provided opportunities to attend prestigious overseas exhibitions such as CES to outstanding students recommended by schools among winners of skill competitions from three national technical high schools (Gumi Electronics Technical High School, Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School, Busan Mechanical Technical High School). Minister Park Young-sun prepared support measures to encourage students and help them understand global technologies and trends in the Fourth Industrial Revolution fields.

Since the transfer to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2012, these three national technical high schools have achieved excellent results in national skill competitions through practice-oriented education.

Lee Sehun, head of the Meister Planning Department at Gumi Electronics Technical High School, said, "In a situation where youth unemployment is high, Minister Park Young-sun seems to pay a lot of attention with the idea that national technical high schools should be a leading model for employment." Yang Mira, a teacher at Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School, said, "If robot-related certifications directly recognized by the government are established, it will help set focused learning directions for related detailed fields."

Jeon Min-geon, a second-year student at Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School (second from the right), is taking a commemorative photo with colleagues at the Korean national finals venue for the International Robot Olympiad World Competition. Photo by Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School

A total of two students were selected to attend CES this time. Jeon Minkun, a second-year student in the Robot Automation Department at Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School, was also selected. He won the bronze medal at the '2018 International Robot Olympiad World Championship' and the grand prize at the 2019 National Student Robot Competition.

Jeon Minkun attended a robot coding academy since middle school. He has dreamed of growing in the robotics field from a young age. After entering high school, he joined the robotics club and is actively participating.

The selected students will visit the 'Eureka Hall,' an innovative startup exhibition hall, and the 'Global Large Corporation Hall' during the CES event period. A Ministry of SMEs and Startups official will accompany and guide the students.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will fully cover the airfare and accommodation expenses for these students' CES attendance. Additionally, support will be provided for one or two students from Busan Mechanical Technical High School, who ranked first overall at the 2019 National Skill Competition, to attend the industrial fair scheduled to be held in Hannover, Germany, in April this year.

Kim Mingyu, head of the Human Resources Support Division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "We will expand opportunities for national technical high school students to attend prestigious overseas exhibitions so they can understand global technologies and trends and broaden their horizons."

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