POSCO safety expert, smart farm engineer among honorees

Awards spotlight skilled workers' contributions to safety, innovation on industrial sites

36 honored in total, including top national certification cases

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Six skilled workers who have helped safeguard industrial sites were named the first winners of the "Engineer and Master Craftsman of the Year" award. One is a master craftsman who manages the aging boiler at National Sorokdo Hospital, where elderly Hansen's disease patients live. Another is an engineer who has improved on-site safety systems since a steel mill accident.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea held an award ceremony at COEX Magok in Seoul on Friday, honoring 36 people in total. The ceremony recognized winners of the "2026 National Certification Holders' Best Practices Competition." This year, the two organizations launched the "Engineer and Master Craftsman of the Year" award for the first time. The award highlights the expertise and industrial contributions of holders of the highest-tier national certifications.

Yoon Tae-woong, An Hae-seong and Yoon Hyun-woo were named Engineers of the Year, while Kim Hyun, Kim Kwang-ho and Yoon Sang-jin were named Master Craftsmen of the Year. All six received commendations from the minister of employment and labor.

Kim Hyun, who holds master craftsman certifications in electrical work and energy management, chose National Sorokdo Hospital over better working conditions. While working as a facilities team leader at a local public corporation in Wando, he volunteered in September 2025 to become a mechanical facility maintenance worker at Sorokdo Hospital. Elderly Hansen's disease patients live at the hospital. He now manages the hospital's aging boiler as well as its hot water, air conditioning and heating systems.

Yoon Hyun-woo of POSCO Holdings built his expertise in safety after losing three colleagues in an oxygen pipe explosion at Gwangyang Steel Works in 2020. He took part in the accident investigation and the establishment of POSCO's safety and health management system. He also handled safety work during the recovery effort at Pohang Steel Works following Typhoon Hinnamnor in 2022. Last year, he earned a professional engineer certification in mechanical safety and now works on analyzing high-risk operations and upgrading safety guidelines.

Yoon Sang-jin, a master craftsman in welding, rose from a day-laborer welder who moved between more than 20 work sites over 16 years to become a "triple-crown" master craftsman. Earning his welding master craftsman certification helped him land a full-time job at a power plant maintenance company. He went on to obtain master craftsman certifications in energy management and piping as well. He now also serves as an examiner for the practical portion of the national technical certification exam.

The other honorees' careers are similarly rooted in the field. POSCO's Yoon Tae-woong began working to improve on-site conditions, prioritizing worker safety and convenience over productivity, after a suffocation accident at Pohang Steel Works in 2018. He went on to earn a professional engineer certification in ergonomics. An Hae-seong left his job as a researcher at a construction company to return to farming. Drawing on his experience running a smart farm, he became a certified professional engineer in horticultural facilities. Kim Kwang-ho of Doosan Enerbility, a master craftsman in metal materials, took part in quality control for steam generators manufactured for a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.

In the national certification best practices category, 30 cases were selected in total, 15 each in the written-test track and the course-evaluation track. In the written-test track, the grand prize went to Yoon Si-hoo, who took up nondestructive testing in his 40s after AI reduced demand for translation work, his previous field. In the course-evaluation track, the grand prize went to Baek Jin-gwan, who obtained a welding technician certification after periods of interrupted schooling and contract work.

"We were able to confirm that national certifications create value not only in individual employment and skill development, but also in diverse areas such as safety, innovation and social contribution across industrial sites," said Lee Byung-hoon, president of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea.


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