81 participants from 9 countries compete in AI skills

Four events cover AI-based search, video production and more

41 countries, 5,000 participants over 15 years since 2011

Young participants with disabilities from the Philippines create videos using an AI platform at the 2026 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities, held Tuesday in Da Nang, Vietnam. [LG Electronics]
Young participants with disabilities from the Philippines create videos using an AI platform at the 2026 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities, held Tuesday in Da Nang, Vietnam. [LG Electronics]

LG Electronics announced Thursday that it hosted the finals of the 2026 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC) in Da Nang, Vietnam, over three days beginning Tuesday, bringing together young people with disabilities from around the world to compete in AI skills.

LG Group and the Ministry of Health and Welfare co-hosted the event, with LG Electronics, the Korea Disabled People's Rehabilitation Association, and local Vietnamese social enterprises and universities serving as joint organizers.

Launched in 2011, the GITC aims to improve IT proficiency among youth with disabilities and support their entry into society. Over 15 years, more than 5,000 young participants with disabilities from 41 countries have taken part.

This year, 81 participants with disabilities from nine countries — South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines — qualified through national preliminary rounds to compete in the finals.

Competitors tested their skills across four events: AI-based information search and document tasks, video production using an AI platform, self-driving car programming, and creating interactive games that respond to motion and voice using AI.

On the final day, participants also experienced Vietnamese culture through traditional dance lessons and a museum visit, and had time to mingle with one another.

Marking the competition's 15th anniversary, Shin Ki-hun, who won the information search event at the inaugural GITC, attended the opening ceremony to cheer on this year's participants. Shin is currently pursuing a doctorate at Pusan National University, researching AI implementation in smart devices.

Yoon Dae-sik, LG Electronics' executive vice president for external affairs, said the company would "continue creating opportunities for young people with disabilities around the world to experience new technologies such as AI and showcase their abilities through the GITC."


joze@heraldcorp.com