Labor ministry honors 12 agencies for overseas job support programs

South Korea's labor ministry on Tuesday recognized a dozen organizations for their work helping young Koreans find jobs and work experience overseas.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the state-run Human Resources Development Service of Korea held the 2026 Overseas Employment Support Best Practices Competition at the Novotel Ambassador in Gangnam, Seoul. Twenty-six organizations submitted cases, and 12 that passed a document review presented them before judges. The competition was split into three categories: training programs run by schools, training programs run by private organizations, and overseas work-experience programs. The top prize in each category was the minister's award, with the agency president's award going to the runners-up.

The event drew 62 organizations that operate the two programs. The training program provides job-skills and language instruction matched to the hiring needs of overseas employers, while the work-experience program offers short-term overseas placements and career exploration. This year the ministry rewrote how the training program is judged, shifting performance indicators and the government subsidy system toward employment rates and strengthening support for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The work-experience program was restructured around on-the-job practice and education, with more job-related information and standardized pre-departure training.

The event also marked the completion of the training program's K-Movers supporters group. Eleven supporters spent the past five months promoting the program and relaying information to young people, and two were given awards for their performance.

Lee Byung-hoon, president of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, said the competition offered a chance to see how organizations are making the overseas push work. "It was a valuable time in which we could see a variety of excellent cases of overseas employment," Lee said. "The service will take the lead in supporting Korean young people's successful entry abroad."

One official from a participating organization, who attended to hear the presentations, said the point was to bring ideas home. "Through this competition, I want to seek a breakthrough by grafting other organizations' operating know-how onto our own to raise young people's overseas employment and our program's results," the official said.