Democratic Party Lawmakers Hold Seminar on Yoon Administration's Semiconductor Policy

Review of Plans to Expand Enrollment Quotas for Semiconductor Departments in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Democratic Party lawmakers announced on the 20th that they will hold a policy forum on the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's plan to expand the enrollment quota for semiconductor departments at universities in the Seoul metropolitan area on the 22nd at 2:30 PM in the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Meeting Room No. 9.

The forum will be co-hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Jo Seung-rae, Kang Deuk-gu, Kang Min-jung, Kwon In-sook, Seo Dong-yong, Yoon Young-chan, and Lee Yong-bin. With the government announcing plans to expand semiconductor department quotas at universities in the metropolitan area, the forum will review the government's plan and seek alternatives for stable and long-term semiconductor talent development.

The first presentation, titled "Current Status of Semiconductor Workforce," will be delivered by Ahn Ki-hyun, Executive Director of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association. He will provide an overview of the workforce shortage issue, which has not kept pace with the record-breaking annual export growth of South Korea's semiconductor industry, using regional and detailed sector data, and examine its causes.

The second presentation, "Semiconductor Workforce Development Plan," will be given by Professor Kim Jeong-ho of the Department of Electrical Engineering at KAIST. He will propose concrete measures reflecting field demands, such as establishing semiconductor departments at national universities, founding semiconductor graduate schools nationwide, and utilizing industry PhD personnel as professors.

Seo Dong-yong, the forum chair and a lawmaker, stated, "While the government's intention to actively nurture semiconductor talent is welcome, it should not be hastily pursued amid the absence of a Minister of Education. This issue requires consideration of various aspects, including reflecting the specific voices of academia and industry and addressing the gap between the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas."

The discussion will be led by Professor Kim Doo-hwan of Duksung Women's University, Professor Lee Moon-seok of Pusan National University, Kwon Ki-seok, Director of the Fundamental Technology Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Jeong Sang-eun, Director of Talent Development Policy at the Ministry of Education.

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