Labor ministry cuts experience requirements for top technical licenses

The labor ministry said it will shorten the work-experience requirements for South Korea's two highest national technical qualifications by one year, in a bid to widen access for younger candidates.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the proposed amendment to the enforcement decree of the National Technical Qualifications Act, citing the existing requirements as a barrier for young people seeking higher-level credentials.

The proposal follows an earlier round of changes. In April 2026, the ministry issued a legislative notice on revising the enforcement decree and rules to shorten professional engineer and master craftsman experience requirements by two to four years — the first such improvement in 16 years.

The current draft also aims to let testing agencies impose sanctions more quickly when cheating occurs during exams, by clarifying the legal basis for delegating disciplinary authority to them. Other provisions would review whether a new qualification should also be run as a course-based assessment when it is created, grant candidates who fail an external evaluation within two years the right to sit the same test under the standard written format, and adjust the monitoring cycle for education and training programs.

The ministry said it has been pursuing changes since 2026 that would open multiple routes to qualification, so that people can challenge the national technical exams on ability even without formal academic or career credentials.

Public comments on the proposed amendment will be accepted through Nov. 9. Organizations and individuals may submit opinions online through the National Participation in Legislation Center or send a written statement to the minister of employment and labor, stating whether they support or oppose the revision, with specific reasons for any opposition, along with their name, address and telephone number.