LG Electronics Hosts 'Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities'

16 Countries, 327 Participants Through National Selection and Qualifiers... This Year's Overall Champion is Thailand's Barinpong Tongjamnong

At the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, where the competition was held, Lee Il-young, Vice President of the Korea Disabled Rehabilitation Association (left), and Kim Kyung-mo (22), who won first place in the developmental disability category of the 'e-Tool Excel Challenge,' are taking a commemorative photo. Including Barinpong Tongjamnong (center of the screen, 19), who won the overall championship this year, overseas players participated in this competition online. / Provided by LG Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] LG Electronics announced on the 20th that it held the ‘2022 Global Disabled Youth IT Challenge’ to support the dreams and hopes of disabled youth communicating with the world through IT.

The Global Disabled Youth IT Challenge is an event held since 2011 to bridge the information gap for disabled youth and enhance their information utilization skills to support their social advancement such as employment and further education. It is hosted by LG Corporation and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and organized by LG Electronics and the Global Disabled Youth IT Challenge Organizing Committee.

This year, among about 400 disabled youth selected through national representative preliminaries, 327 participants from 16 countries who passed the preliminary round competed in the finals. They competed in a total of six events, including the ‘e-Tool Excel Challenge’ evaluating data output and Excel function skills, and the ‘e-Creative Smart Car Challenge’ assessing programming skills related to autonomous vehicles.

As a result, Barinpong Tongjamnong (19), a hearing-impaired youth from Thailand, won the overall championship. Barinpong, who participated as a team leader in the e-Creative Internet of Things (IoT) Challenge, received high praise for his ideas and IT skills that improve the lives of disabled people, including accessibility for the disabled. Barinpong said, “I prepared for a long time with my friends to participate in this year’s competition.”

Over the past 10 years until last year, about 4,000 disabled youth from 28 countries have participated in the Global Disabled Youth IT Challenge. Faiza Putri Adila from Indonesia, who participated as the youngest ever at age 17 in 2018 and won the overall championship, is currently studying nanotechnology at Indonesia’s Airlangga University and nurturing her dream as an engineer. Chinmani Thanaphon from Thailand, who was the first person with developmental disabilities to win the overall championship in 2016, has grown into a broadcaster appearing on popular Thai TV programs and is leading efforts to improve awareness of disabilities.

Yoon Dae-sik, Executive Vice President and Head of External Cooperation at LG Electronics, said, “We will continue to fulfill our corporate social responsibility so that disabled youth can nurture their dreams and passion and communicate with a bigger world by utilizing IT.”

Meanwhile, on the 30th, a forum titled ‘Innovation and Integration’ will be held at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, focusing on the development direction of the Global Disabled Youth IT Challenge. Government officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the host country for next year’s competition, and the Global Disabled Youth IT Challenge Organizing Committee are expected to attend this forum.

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