South Korea finishes second overall at WorldSkills Shanghai with 4 gold, 14 silver, 6 bronze

4 gold, 14 silver, 6 bronze — second overall behind China

Hair design claims first gold in 19 years; web technology wins fifth consecutive title

Korea takes 6 medals in information and communications technology

Kim Jo-young, joint gold medalist in hair design at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, holds up the South Korean flag at the awards ceremony held Sunday at the World Expo Culture Center in Shanghai, China. [Korea Human Resources Development Service]

When the bronze and silver medalists in hair design were called out one by one, Kim Jo-young, 22, bent forward and began to cry — the moment her gold medal was confirmed. Draped in the South Korean flag, she stepped onto the podium and embraced the French competitor who shared the honor with her. Applause and cheers swept through the South Korean delegation, which had just reclaimed the hair design gold for the first time in 19 years.

At the closing ceremony of the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held Sunday afternoon at the World Expo Culture Center in Shanghai, the top three finishers in each skill were brought to the front of the stage before their medal rankings were announced. The tense expressions on competitors' faces gave way to cheers and tears each time a medal color was revealed.

South Korea won four gold medals, 14 silver medals, six bronze medals and 16 excellence awards, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Human Resources Development Service announced Monday. Based on four country-comparison indicators — including average scores and medal scores published by the WorldSkills Competition organizing committee — South Korea ranked second overall behind China, scoring 253 points to China's 260.

Son Hyeon-bin of Samsung Electronics, second from right, poses with other medalists after winning gold in web technology at the 48th WorldSkills Competition. South Korea claimed its fifth consecutive gold medal in the discipline. [Korea Human Resources Development Service]

South Korea's four gold medals went to Kim in hair design, Son Hyeon-bin of Samsung Electronics in web technology, Park Ji-min of Samsung Heavy Industries in industrial control and Yu Ye-chan of Samsung Electro-Mechanics in optoelectronics. Kim's gold was the first for South Korea in hair design since the 2007 competition in Shizuoka, Japan. She reached the top after completing unfamiliar tasks including a men's haircut in an unconventional style and an updo challenge.

In web technology, Son shared the gold with a Chinese competitor, extending South Korea's winning streak in the discipline to five consecutive titles. Son said he trained on his laptop in his room every night during the competition to prepare for the following day's tasks. Yu's gold in optoelectronics was South Korea's first in that discipline. When he bowed deeply toward the crowd from the podium with the South Korean flag draped over his shoulders, the emcee responded with an audible "wow."

Joy and relief were written across the faces of the silver medalists as well. Bae Sin-wook of Samsung Heavy Industries cheered and then choked up after receiving his silver in electrical control, while Baek Seung-bin of Seoul Technical High School trembled with excitement when his silver in digital architecture was announced. Across six disciplines in information and communications technology — including web technology — South Korea collected one gold, four silver and one bronze.

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon expressed gratitude and encouragement to the delegation for "elevating the status of South Korea as a technology powerhouse," pledging continued support for the growth of young skilled workers. The next WorldSkills Competition will be held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, in 2028.

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