52nd National Quality Innovation Competition opens

The industry ministry said Monday that the 52nd National Quality Innovation Competition opened in Jeonju, bringing together 314 workplace teams.

The five-day competition at the Korea Sori Arts Center will end Aug. 28. About 2,500 team members are competing, and more than 7,000 people will take part.

The teams were selected through company-level contests and preliminary competitions in 17 cities and provinces held in May and June. They will present workplace quality-improvement cases across 18 categories, competing for gold, silver and bronze medals.

The competition, first held in 1975, centers on quality circles: voluntary groups of industrial workers formed to address workplace problems, reduce costs and improve quality, productivity and customer satisfaction.

"We are entering a new era of change in which artificial intelligence, big data and digital manufacturing technologies are reshaping industrial production methods and quality-management systems," Kim Dae-ja, head of the ministry's national technology and standards agency, said at the opening ceremony. "The agency will continue to promote the spread of digital quality management and strengthen the foundation for quality innovation."

The agency is co-hosting the event with Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province and Jeonju, while the Korea Standards Association is organizing it. The opening ceremony was attended by about 800 quality-management officials and industry representatives.

Organizers also scheduled a meeting of quality-management officials to support companies, quality consultation booths with master craftspeople, corporate promotional booths and performances during the event.

Winning teams are scheduled to receive presidential medals and industry ministry certificates on Nov. 25 at the 52nd National Quality Management Competition.