Lee Se-dol delivers keynote on 'AlphaGo, 10 years later'

AI-based curriculum design, interview practice offered

Labor Ministry vows regional AI talent-development system

A job seeker looks at promotional materials on AI job training at the Seoul Job Fair held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) last year. (Yonhap)
A job seeker looks at promotional materials on AI job training at the Seoul Job Fair held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) last year. (Yonhap)

Artificial intelligence is transforming work, organizations and the role of talent, and Korea's largest human resources development event will explore these shifts. The government plans to expand AI vocational training and build a regional talent-development system linked to its "five growth hubs and three special zones" growth engine strategy.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said it will hold the 20th Human Resources Development Conference together with the Human Resources Development Service of Korea for two days starting Thursday at COEX Magok in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

The conference began in 2007 to raise awareness of the importance of vocational skills development and to share related information. This year's event, themed "NEXT HR in an Age of Change," examines how people, jobs and organizations are being reshaped by the AI transition.

On the first day, Lee Se-dol, a distinguished professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), will deliver a keynote titled "AlphaGo, 10 Years Later: Lee Se-dol's Review." Drawing on the changes that have swept the Go community since his 2016 matches against AlphaGo, he will discuss how technological advances are reshaping human roles. He will also address what kind of talent the AI era demands.

On Friday, Oh Soon-young, a principal solutions architect at Amazon Web Services, will present how generative and agentic AI are changing work processes and organizational growth strategies. Kim Nan-do, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, will outline new directions for human resource management centered on "human-in-the-loop," an approach that keeps human judgment and intervention embedded in workflows.

Over the two days, 15 lectures will be held across three tracks — human resources development, human resources management and "Tech in HR." Officials from KT Corp, SK Chemicals, LG Electronics, LG Energy Solution, Amorepacific and SK AX will speak. They will present cases on AI-driven work innovation, job-skill development, talent retention, performance evaluation and organizational culture.

Hands-on training sessions are also planned for corporate HR staff. Participants will be able to use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and NotebookLM to design training curricula and draft job-specific interview questions.

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea, Korea Polytechnics and the Korea University of Technology and Education will co-host a forum. It is titled "The Demographic Cliff in the AI Era and the Future of Vocational Education and Training for Youth." The forum will address AI's impact on employment, changes in the industrial landscape driven by digital transformation, and the direction of human resources development policy.

An "HRD-AI consultation center" to help small and medium-sized enterprises with their AI transition will also be set up at the venue. A new technology pavilion will let visitors try out industrial robots and virtual- and augmented-reality-based training content, alongside a promotional pavilion showcasing HR content from 12 companies.

Deputy Minister Kwon Chang-jun of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "Amid the great AI transition, the government will greatly expand AI vocational training so that all citizens can acquire the skills they need." He added, "We will link mega special zones with the five growth hubs and three special zones growth engine strategy to build a regional talent-development system that will lead key industries, including AI."


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