00:02You're listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
00:06Even Seoul National University couldn't fill 41.4% of its science and engineering graduate programs.
00:13H.D. Hyundai is expanding from shipbuilding into AI data center engines and nuclear.
00:18The startup minister promised full backing for Dajon as a model startup city,
00:24with six more cities to be selected this month,
00:26and the president asked for a productive public jobs program to answer job losses and polarization.
00:34It's Friday, October 16th.
00:36Let's look at what this means for job seekers and graduates in Korea.
00:40Students are weighing quick corporate pay against long doctorates,
00:43and the gap shows up in who applies where.
00:46At the same time, industrial groups are moving into AI power and energy,
00:51and local startup hubs are getting new government attention.
00:54And the president is asking how public jobs should respond as AI changes work.
00:59Here's what the numbers show.
01:01Seoul National University's science and engineering graduate programs missed their quotas in 376 of 909 cases over five years,
01:10with 79 attracting no applicants, and AI drew 48 applicants for 11 seats.
01:16HD Hyundai posted first half operating profit of 6.9594 trillion one,
01:23up 187.0 percent comma,
01:26while its Himson engine orders for AI data center power passed 1.5 trillion one this year.
01:32HD Hyundai Heavy will invest 833.6 billion one in a new engine plant by 2028
01:40to lift engine capacity to 7.2 gigawatts by 2030,
01:45and it plans 238.6 billion one for a dedicated small modular reactor facility.
01:52Minister Lee So-young said the startup city project covers Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Olsen now,
01:59with a call this month to select six more cities,
02:02and Daejeon ranks 296th globally and first among non-capital Korean cities.
02:08Humanoid maker Agility Robotics plans to list on the NASDAQ in mid-November
02:14at a $2.5 billion valuation with more than $300 million in backlog.
02:21President Lee asked staff to design productive public jobs that raise social benefit,
02:26with a citizen patrol as an example saying,
02:29jobs are shrinking and income polarization is rising.
02:33So what does this mean for you as you plan your next step?
02:36Earlier, we said even Seoul National University couldn't fill 41.4% of its science and engineering
02:44graduate programs.
02:45Here's what that actually means for you.
02:47Applied fields like AI and semiconductors are crowded,
02:52while basic science and some engineering majors are not.
02:55And professors say students weigh a few years of corporate pay against a long doctorate.
03:00If you're choosing a path, compare programs by applicant demand and by the jobs a doctorate opens,
03:06since one professor argues good jobs for PhDs are what's missing.
03:12What to watch?
03:13The ministry's call for applications for six more startup cities expected this month,
03:19agility robotics merger close on November 2nd,
03:22and NASDAQ debut in mid-November,
03:24and how the government designs the national jobs program the president requested.
03:28That's today's AI Prism students and grads.
03:32This episode was produced with AI assistance based on Seoul Economic Daily reporting
03:37and reviewed by a human editor.
03:40AI Prism is a Juan Ifra award-winning series.
03:43We'll be back tomorrow.
03:44You've been listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
