Foreign media spotlight South Korea's semiconductor high school, where graduates out-earn their teachers

Photo is not related to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

The New York Times on Friday turned its spotlight on Chungbuk Semiconductor High School in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, as South Korea's semiconductor industry — led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — enjoys its biggest boom in history amid surging demand for AI data centers.

Chungbuk Semiconductor High School was designated a meister high school specializing in semiconductor equipment in 2010, making it the oldest of four semiconductor-focused meister schools in the country. Located about two hours from Seoul, the school houses 300 students in dormitories and operates six simulated semiconductor equipment training facilities.

Meister high schools are specialized vocational institutions that run curricula tailored to industry demand. There are currently 59 designated meister schools nationwide, with six more recently added. The Ministry of Education said it is considering designating at least 10 additional meister schools going forward.

The semiconductor boom's effects have shown up first in admissions. Enrollment inquiries more than tripled over the past year, and requests for school visits — including from a Chinese state broadcaster crew — have been constant as outside observers seek to learn from the school's model.

SK hynix's recent decision to scrap its academic credential requirements has also fueled interest in semiconductor meister schools. The company said it would select candidates based on job performance rather than educational background.

This year's freshman admission competition ratio rose sharply to 2.26 to 1, up from 1.51 to 1 the previous year. The passing grade threshold was estimated at around 360 out of a perfect score of 400. Principal Seo Un-seok told The New York Times, "It seems like our school has become the hottest school in Korea right now."

In Seoul, Huigyeong Industrial High School is set to reopen in March 2027 as Seoul Semiconductor High School — the capital's first semiconductor-specialized high school. In Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where a large-scale semiconductor cluster is being developed, Yongin Semiconductor High School is also preparing to open.

Semiconductor chip image. [Getty Images]

The New York Times highlighted the massive performance bonuses paid to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix employees, describing landing a job at either company as akin to winning the lottery.

Graduates who return to campus, casually pick up the tab for their juniors and mention bonuses worth hundreds of millions of won reinforce that belief among current students. Principal Seo said, "It's not easy to hear a former student who worked for just one year talk about a bonus bigger than my entire annual salary."

The Times also examined the job uncertainty lurking beneath the semiconductor boom. The government has pledged to develop the Yongin semiconductor cluster into the world's largest advanced chip hub, with Samsung Electronics projecting 60,000 new jobs over five years and SK hynix targeting up to 20,000 new positions annually. However, some experts are skeptical those figures are achievable. They argue that semiconductor manufacturing is capital-intensive and that accelerating automation of production processes could actually reduce the overall number of jobs.

Those concerns are already materializing at subcontractors. A manager at a Samsung Electronics equipment maintenance partner told The New York Times, "It has become harder to hire new employees this year," adding, "Once equipment with advanced self-cleaning functions comes in, our jobs may disappear."

dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com