Labor ministry backs Busan job festival as Korea Polytechnic opens 12 career booths

Korea Polytechnic University joined the 2026 KB Good Job Busan Job Festival as a co-organizer, setting up 12 career experience booths to help young people in southeastern Korea explore new-industry jobs, the labor ministry said Monday.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hall 1 of the BEXCO Exhibition Center 1 in Busan, and about 10,000 job seekers are expected to attend, including vocational high school students, soon-to-be-discharged soldiers and university students. The event is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Busan city government and KB Kookmin Bank.

Some 200 small and mid-sized companies from Busan, Ulsan and Changwon are taking part, spanning new-industry fields such as artificial intelligence, future mobility, biohealth, maritime and finance. The companies include "youth job strong small businesses" jointly selected by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, as well as firms designated as outstanding by the Busan city government. Job seekers can hold face-to-face interviews with human resources managers and apply for positions on site.

At the Polytechnic booths, visitors can try semiconductor production work, experience industrial safety through virtual reality, make their own molds and coatings, and control humanoid and autonomous driving robots. A working humanoid robot moves through the venue to greet visitors, giving them a close look at physical AI technology. The university is also introducing its training programs and offering counseling to young job seekers.

"I hope young people in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam take this fair as a chance to encounter companies and jobs in the region's new industries firsthand and find the path that suits them," said Lee Cheol-soo, chairman of Korea Polytechnic University. "We will keep working with local companies and institutions so that young people can move toward the jobs they want through skills."

Beyond the recruitment booths, the festival offers job seekers career consulting and sessions on interview strategies tailored to MBTI personality types.