Korea to Cover Full Tuition at Regional National Universities
Korea plans to fully fund tuition at regional national universities and create an internship-semester system to draw talent under its balanced…
AI PRISM
College & Job Seeker News
Career, employment, and economic news tailored for students and job seekers. Covers hiring trends, youth employment policy, and career development opportunities.
680,000 Young Koreans 'Doing Nothing' Monthly as Wage Gap Hits 56%
A monthly average of 680,000 young Koreans are neither working nor job-hunting, as large firms pay 56% more than smaller ones.
Semiconductor Contract Majors Draw Higher Grades Than Med Schools in Korea
Applicants to Korea's semiconductor contract majors posted an average school grade of 1.25, higher than the 1.27 for medical schools, as a…
Anthropic Files for IPO This Month Targeting $2 Trillion Valuation
Anthropic will file for an IPO this month targeting a $2 trillion valuation as its Q2 revenue surged 14.6-fold from a year earlier.
mRNA Cancer Vaccine Clears First Phase 3 Trial, Reshaping Biotech Hiring
An mRNA cancer vaccine from Moderna and Merck cleared its first Phase 3 trial, while Honam gains two more chip fabs and AI literacy emerges as a…
Venture Funding Hits Record 8.9 Trillion Won, Led by AI and Chips
H1 venture investment hit a record 8.87 trillion won led by AI and chips, as household debt topped 2,000 trillion won and the COFIX rate reached a…
2.96 Million People's Data Exposed as Hackers Target Korean Campuses
Personal data of 2.96 million people was exposed in hacks at Korean universities over five years, with nine incidents last year alone.
Samsung's SSAFY Tops 10,000 Job Placements, Relaunches as AI-Focused 2.0
Samsung's SSAFY has placed some 10,000 developers since launch and is relaunching as AI-focused SSAFY 2.0, as it backs 15 Olympiad team members.
AI Chip Boom Lifts SK hynix Pay to 144 Million Won in First Half
SK hynix paid its 36,042 employees an average of 144 million won in the first half, up 23% as the AI chip boom lifts semiconductor pay.
"Build a Game in a Minute": AI Ends Developers' Monopoly
AI-based platforms from Krafton and Nexon let non-developers launch games in minutes, while Chinese AI and traditional steelmakers ride an AI…
Korea Plants Seeds for 7 Future Industries Including SMR and Quantum
Korea names SMR, quantum, fusion and four other fields as future growth engines, using a public-private SPC to share early R&D risk and create science…
Computer Skills Certificate Still No. 1 for Jobseekers in AI Era
Computer proficiency certificates ranked first and second among young hires at Korea's top 500 firms, holding their place as a top job credential even in…
1.39 Million Young Koreans Join State Savings Program; More Slots Eyed for September
Youth Future Savings enrollment hit 1.385 million, led by ages 25-29, and Korea's FSC is weighing an extra September round.
FKI to Pick, Fund 100 Startup Teams in New Program
FKI launches "Plus Startup" to pick and fund 100 teams, as Korea reworks 22 marriage-penalty rules and China voids 140,000 exam scores.
SK hynix Commits 54 Trillion Won to Expand Yongin, Cheongju Bases
SK hynix finalized a 54.3 trillion won investment in its Yongin Y2 and Cheongju M17 fabs to expand AI memory production, while youth employment fell for a 26th straight month and Naver's AI business nears monetization.
Even a 'Legend' Departs: Google Reorganizes as It Falls Behind in AI
Google reorganizes its AI operations around Mountain View as DeepMind CEO Hassabis and 'AlphaGo father' Jeff Dean depart amid a Big Tech talent battle with OpenAI and Anthropic.
Mega-Zone, Youth Jobs: Labor Ministry Sets to Shift the Game
Korea's Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon will unveil a "National Responsibility System for Youth First Careers" next week, as 210,000 youth jobs vanished amid AI's spread and elderly workers top 10 million.
Hanwha Systems to Hire 100+ for Space Business Amid 20 Trillion Won Bet
Hanwha Systems will hire more than 100 experienced workers for its space business division in H2, backed by Hanwha Group's roughly 20 trillion won investment in the space sector.
Haenam AI Center Breaks Ground, Aims for 15,000 GPUs
Korea broke ground on the National AI Computing Center in Haenam with 2.4 trillion won, aiming for 15,000 GPUs by 2028 and 50,000 by 2030, alongside expanded youth tax benefits.
DeepSeek Lightweight Model Outperforms Flagship Eight Times Its Size
DeepSeek's lightweight V4 Flash beats its own 8x-larger flagship through post-training alone, scoring 82.7 on Terminal-Bench 2.1 at just $0.28 per million tokens.
LG's K-EXAONE Grows Threefold, Surpasses China's Top AI
LG AI Research Institute's K-EXAONE 2.0, with 750 billion parameters, scored 94.4 in long-context comprehension, far surpassing China's GLM-5.1 at 71.5, proving Korea's AI reached the global frontier level.
Samsung Launches Job Training for 1,000 Youth Outside Seoul Metropolitan Area
Samsung launches "Youth Hope Learning Center" for 1,000 unemployed youth outside Seoul, while SK hynix adopts half-day interviews and Wanted Lab runs an AI career camp.
LG Offers Free AI Education to 33,000 People Annually, Expanding Talent Pipeline
LG Group provides free AI education to 33,000 middle and high school students annually via LG Discovery Lab, expanding a talent pipeline as Gyeongnam and K-beauty open new job markets.
Long-Term Jobless Youth Surge 13.5% in Two Years
Long-term jobless youth in Korea surged 13.5% to 427,143 in the first half of 2025, with 62.4% of "resting" youth out of the labor market for over a year.
Hyundai Motor Group to Train 1,000 Youths as AI Talent
Hyundai Motor Group launches "HINT" to train 1,000 youths in embedded AI and manufacturing intelligence, while the government pushes for up to 10 years of income tax cuts for youth at regional SMEs.
Krafton Launches Postdoc Fellowship, a First for Korean IT Firms
Krafton subsidiary Ludo Robotics becomes the first Korean IT firm to launch a postdoc fellowship, offering up to 180 million won for global postdoctoral researchers.
Samsung Opens Recruitment at 18 Units, Hiring Seen Topping 12,000
Eighteen Samsung Group affiliates opened first-half recruitment through Samsung Careers, with hiring expected to exceed 12,000 amid a chip super cycle and expanded AI investment.
Samsung, SK Chip Cluster Drives 4-Million Metropolitan Zone in Southern Gyeonggi
Samsung and SK hynix chip investments are driving Yongin, Hwaseong, and Pyeongtaek toward a 4-million-person metropolitan zone by 2040, expanding job opportunities in Korea's semiconductor belt.
15-Year-Old NAND Fabless Firm Becomes Unicorn on AI Tailwind
NAND controller fabless firm AIO reached a 1.2 trillion won valuation with first-half revenue of 150 billion won, becoming a unicorn 15 years after founding on the AI boom.
Chip, AI Workers to Get Military Service Perks in Mega-Zones
Korea plans military service and tax incentives for chip and AI workers in regional mega-zones, while Olive Young adds AI hiring assignments and Busan launches a youth career program.
Chip Hiring Booms: First-Half Job Postings Surge 47%
Semiconductor entry-level job postings surged 47% year-on-year in the first half, hitting a five-year high, as SK hynix, Samsung, Nvidia and Micron ramp up hiring.
College Graduate Unemployment Hits 5-Year High as AI Displaces Youth Jobs
College graduate unemployment in Korea hit 481,000 in Q2 2025, a 5-year high, as AI displaces youth jobs. The 20s unemployment rate reached 8.3%.
"AI Erases Not Jobs but This": Hiring Practices Shaken
Global corporate AI adoption jumped to 88% in 2025, but reluctance to hire new recruits poses a bigger threat to youth employment. The U.S. also caps F-1 student visas at four years.
Hyosung Holds First-Ever Recruitment Drive Exclusively for Humanities Majors
Hyosung Group launches its first-ever recruitment drive exclusively for humanities majors in its 60-year history, accepting applications through the 22nd, as youth employment struggles continue.
Samsung Launches Major HBM Hiring Push, Eyes 'Custom HBM'
Samsung Electronics is recruiting for six HBM roles from the 13th to the 27th, pursuing HBM4 mass production and HBM4E/HBM5 development, while Korea sets next year's minimum wage at 10,700 won.
Special Housing Supply Weighed for Semiconductor Mega-Zone Workers
Korea's government and ruling party are weighing special private apartment supply for southwestern semiconductor mega-zone workers, alongside 1.6 million jobs and Samsung's early 2029 Yongin fab startup.
Korea to Launch 'K Labor Council' Supporting 2.1 Million Platform Freelancers
Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor will establish a K Labor Council for 2.1 million platform freelancers, targeting a 2028 launch and a 1 trillion won mutual aid fund.
Ruling Party Pushes 52-Hour Workweek Exemption for Mega-Cluster Tech Researchers
Korea's Democratic Party pushes a 52-hour workweek exemption for R&D personnel at semiconductor mega-project firms, as employment insurance rules change and first-half M&A surges 45%.
"Will AI Take My Job?" Ulsan's 13-Institution AX Pact Fuels Basic Society Debate
Ulsan signs manufacturing AX pact with 13 institutions to train AI data center talent, while debate grows over AI labor displacement and a proposed "basic right to learning."
Youth Employment Falls 677,000 in Four Years Despite Allowance Hike
Korean youth employment fell 677,000 in four years. The government plans to raise the monthly job-seeking allowance to 650,000 won amid doubts over its effectiveness.
Low-Income Youth Double in Four Years; Government to Unveil 'Growth for All' Package Next Week
Low-income youth households in Korea nearly doubled to 15.2% in four years. The government will unveil a 'Growth for All' package next week, as minimum wage and platform labor rulings shift.
Samsung, SK to Build Four Chip Fabs in Gwangju in Speed Push
Samsung and SK hynix will build four chip fabs at the Gwangju military airport site, while SK hynix invests 870 billion won in its Trinity Fab and Jay Y. Lee heads to Sun Valley for memory and foundry sales.
Semiconductor Boom Draws Students to Electronics as Computer Science Era Fades
As Korea's chip boom drives investment plans worth hundreds of trillions of won, 57% of open-major students at Sungkyunkwan University now choose electrical engineering, overtaking computer science.
Samsung, Hyundai Motor to Invest 102 Trillion Won in Yeongnam, Creating 200,000 Jobs
Samsung and Hyundai Motor unveiled 60 trillion won and 42 trillion won investment plans for the Yeongnam region, creating 200,000 jobs, while SK Telecom pledged 140 trillion won for Ulsan AI data centers.
KB Kookmin Bank Launches 'KB AI Dev Center' Where AI Writes Code
KB Kookmin Bank launched the 'KB AI Dev Center' on July 1, where AI participates in coding from planning to testing, using Claude Code and an in-house 'Harness' security system.
Samsung, SK Narrow 800 Trillion Won Chip Cluster to Two Gwangju Sites
Samsung and SK hynix narrow their 800 trillion won southwestern chip cluster to two Gwangju sites, as Anthropic's export curbs lift and HD Korea Shipbuilding wins $15.7 billion.
Seoul to Supply 74,000 Youth Housing Units, Adding 10,000 Student Studios
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveils plan to supply 74,000 youth housing units over five years, including 10,000 interest-free "Sprout Studios" for college students by 2030.
In the AI Era, Half of Doctorate Holders Under 30 Are Jobless
One in three new Korean doctorate holders in 2025 was unemployed, and 51.1% of those under 30 were jobless—both record highs—as AI erodes youth employment.
Nvidia's 2.7% Turnover vs. Samsung's 10.1%: The Gap-Maker
Nvidia's turnover rate is 2.7% and TSMC's 3.5%, while Samsung's is 10.1% — analysts cite RSUs as the gap-maker, as Korea's tax revision again excludes RSU benefits.
LG's 770TB Manufacturing Data Meets Nvidia Computing Power
LG Electronics formalizes three-pillar physical AI cooperation with Nvidia, combining 770TB of manufacturing data with Nvidia's computing power, as chipflation pushes IT device prices up.