The 55th National Skills Competition Opens in Gunsan, Jeonbuk

Held on a Reduced Scale Focused on Technical Competitions Amid Thorough Quarantine Measures
1,778 Athletes from 17 Cities and Provinces Nationwide Participate

[Gunsan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] The 55th National Skills Competition, the largest festival for skilled technicians in Korea, was held on the 14th in Jeonbuk.

The competition, which will take place until the 21st across 7 venues in 4 cities and counties within the province, is being held in Jeonbuk for the first time in 16 years since it was last hosted here in 2004.

According to Jeonbuk Province, under the slogan "A Millennium Jeonbuk Opening the Future, Blossoming with Technology," this event is co-hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Jeollabuk-do, and the Jeollabuk-do Office of Education, and organized by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea and the Jeollabuk-do Skills Competition Committee.

At the opening ceremony held at the Gunsan Convention Center, attendance was minimized to only six officials including Minister Lee Jae-gap of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Governor Song Ha-jin of Jeonbuk, Superintendent Kim Seung-hwan of Jeonbuk Office of Education, Speaker Song Ji-yong of Jeonbuk Provincial Assembly, Chairman Kim Dong-man of the Human Resources Development Service, Executive Director Jang Dong-seop of Samsung Skills Olympics, and two athlete representatives to encourage the participants.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the organizers placed emphasis on safety, resulting in the complete cancellation of pre-ceremony events such as congratulatory performances and large-scale welcome receptions originally planned.

The opening ceremony proceeded with video introductions of 17 cities and provinces, an oath by athlete representatives promising fair competition, video congratulatory messages from Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and others, welcome speeches, and a talk show. All events were broadcast live nationwide on YouTube.

Governor Song Ha-jin of Jeonbuk encouraged the participants in his welcome speech, saying, "I applaud the athletes who have silently trained and sweated through these particularly difficult times due to COVID-19."

He also stated, "We have closely cooperated with the hosting organizations to prepare thorough quarantine measures to a level that ensures safety and plan to implement them strictly. For everyone's safety, we ask for your cooperation in following the quarantine rules even if it is inconvenient."

This competition features 1,778 athletes from 17 cities and provinces nationwide. It will be held over eight days from the 14th to the 21st, dispersed across seven venues.

By region, the events will be held at one venue in Jeonju (Jeonju Technical High School), three venues in Gunsan (Gunsan Mechanical Technical High School, Saemangeum Convention Center, Myungshin Co., Ltd.), two venues in Iksan (Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School, Iri Technical High School), and one venue in Wanju (Wanju High-Tech High School). Competitions will cover a total of 50 job categories including automobile maintenance, confectionery, baking, and stone crafts.

Only participating athletes, judges, and staff are allowed access to the venues. Entry by instructors, parents, and general spectators is strictly controlled, and the competition will be held without an audience.

Instead, for residents interested in the Skills Competition, the events by job category will be broadcast live online.

The National Skills Competition is an event held to improve skill levels, and various benefits are granted to winners.

Winners receive gold medals and prize money of 12 million KRW, exemptions from practical exams for certifications in their respective fields, and eligibility to participate in the national selection for the International Skills Olympics. Additionally, they can fulfill their military service obligations by working at designated companies with military service exceptions.

Awards will be presented immediately after each job category competition at each venue (Medalist Plaza) by the chairpersons of the seven technical committees. Scenes from the awards ceremony will be broadcast via video at the closing ceremony held at the Gunsan Convention Center at 10:00 on the 21st.

Meanwhile, Minister Lee Jae-gap of the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated during a talk show conducted in a Q&A format with participating athletes, "We will analyze the connection and satisfaction of the currently operated 50 job categories with the industrial field and prepare a plan to reorganize the job categories within next year." He added, "We will link winners to employment by signing MOUs with excellent companies such as World Class 300."

The host province Jeonbuk has set a goal of ranking in the top five overall in this competition, with 110 athletes competing in 39 job categories.

The Jeonbuk team selected outstanding athletes through the 50th Jeonbuk Skills Competition held in June and established comprehensive strategies for the competition preparation, including fostering strategic job categories, making thorough preparations to achieve excellent results despite the challenging conditions caused by the resurgence of COVID-19.

Jeonbuk previously achieved its best-ever result by ranking 6th overall at the 54th Busan Competition held in 2019.

Na Seok-hoon, Head of the Job Economy Headquarters of Jeonbuk Province, who has been preparing for the competition, said, "To minimize face-to-face contact and gatherings, we have canceled or converted other events except the competitions to non-face-to-face online formats and will implement thorough quarantine measures to ensure a safe competition." He added, "Through this competition, we aim to raise nationwide interest in skilled technology and provide multifaceted support so that skilled technicians are respected and specialized high school students can realize their future dreams."

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