Korea Investment & Securities Opens Fall Hiring Across All Divisions

* Editor's note: AI PRISM (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an artificial intelligence-based personalized news recommendation and summary service developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six news items tailored to each reader type.

1. Korea Investment & Securities Opens Fall Hiring as Chairman, President Head to Campuses

Key summary: Korea Investment & Securities is holding open recruitment for entry-level employees for the second half of 2026 through 5 p.m. on Oct. 19. The hiring covers all divisions, including PB, IB, project finance, wholesale, retirement pensions, asset management, research, risk management, business administration and digital IT, and applicants with a four-year bachelor's degree or higher may apply regardless of major. The process runs from document screening to an AI interview, first- and second-round interviews and a final interview. Chairman Kim Nam-koo will attend sessions at Seoul National University (Oct. 1) and Korea University (Oct. 7), while President Kim Sung-hwan will appear at Sungkyunkwan University (Sept. 29) and Yonsei University (Oct. 13). Because attendees receive bonus points in the document screening stage, applicants targeting the securities industry should check the schedule in advance.

2. 'KAIST Early Admission Applications Up 20% on New AI College'

Key summary: A total of 8,394 people applied for KAIST's early undergraduate admissions for the 2027 academic year, up 20.1% from 6,991 a year earlier, and the ratio rose to 9.70-to-1 from 8.5-to-1. The intake was expanded alongside the launch of the new AI college, but the increase in applications exceeded that. For the Creative Challenge track, applicants rose 44.2% even though the intake was raised 35%, producing a ratio of 10.09-to-1. This signals that demand for admission in AI fields is outpacing supply, and AI-related skills are emerging as a key differentiator among job seekers in science and engineering.

3. Industrial Bank of Korea Hiring Ratio Falls to 107-to-1 on Relocation Talk

Key summary: The recruitment ratio for entry-level bankers in Industrial Bank of Korea's second-half hiring closed at 107-to-1, below the 110-to-1 recorded in the first half of this year. The ratio had initially been projected at 130-to-1, but relocation talk that spread after the June local elections is seen as having dampened applicant sentiment. A pattern of watching and applying at the last minute became pronounced, with 6,000 people applying on the closing day alone. Job seekers preparing for positions at financial public institutions should monitor each institution's relocation plans and adjust their application strategies flexibly, observers said.

4. Research Staff Hiring Support to Be Refocused on Four New Growth Areas

Key summary: The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will restructure its research staff hiring support program from next year to focus on four new growth areas: new security, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, climate technology and K-consumer goods. The program covers up to 50% of labor costs for three years for small and medium-sized enterprises that hire research staff, and the change shifts the approach from covering all fields to one of selection and concentration. Next year's budget for the program is 22.7 billion won, the same as this year, and existing recipients will continue to receive support. For job seekers in science and engineering, a strategy aimed at companies in the four new growth areas could offer an advantage in combination with government support.

5. "Manufacturing Powerhouse Status at Risk Without Physical AI" — $1 Trillion Market to Open Within Seven Years

Key summary: The global physical AI market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 33%, from $80 billion in 2025 to $960 billion in 2033. Park Hyeon-joo, chairman of Mirae Asset Group, called for the creation of robotics clusters nationwide, including in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, saying that missing the moment now would hand leadership to China. Physical AI is expected to spread rapidly beyond robots into logistics, care services, agriculture, defense and safety. For job seekers in the convergence of manufacturing, robotics and AI, demand for research and development and engineering personnel tied to future cluster development could open new opportunities.

6. LS Cable's 37-Year Strike-Free Run Ends as Bonus Disputes Spread Across Manufacturing

Key summary: LS Cable has launched its first strike in the 37 years since its union was established in 1989. The union demanded a 6.5% increase in base pay and a 30 million won bonus, while management held to a 4% base pay increase and an 8.5 million won bonus, leaving the two sides without common ground. Strikes have spread to major manufacturers including POSCO, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, with labor disputes widening across industry. Performance-based compensation standards set by large semiconductor firms are cited as having raised expectations across the broader industry, and job seekers should examine the compensation systems and labor relations of their target industries before joining, observers said.