Minister of Employment and Labor, Kim Young-hoon, Visits Our University and Shares Job-Related Concerns with Students
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2025-07-25
On Thursday, July 24, newly appointed Minister of Employment and Labor, Kim Young-hoon, visited our university to tour the University Job Plus Center and listen to the concerns of college students regarding employment. This marked Minister Kim’s first university visit since taking office.
On the same day, the University Job Plus Center held a roundtable discussion at the Student Union Building, attended by President Moon Si-yeun, Minister Kim Young-hoon, job-seeking students, and career consultants.
Also present at the event were Vice President Wee Kyung-woo, Graduate School of Business Dean Kwon Soon-won, Career Development Center Director Son Seo-hee from Sookmyung, as well as key officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, including Employment Policy Director Lee Jung-han, Spokesperson Choi Hyun-seok, Youth Employment Planning Director Koo Hyun-kyung, and Seoul Western District Employment and Labor Office Director Cho Sun-yeol. To welcome participants, a coffee truck on-site served 300 drinks to students.
Minister Kim visited our university to meet directly with students amid the ongoing youth employment crisis. According to Statistics Korea, the number of young people categorized as “taking a break” — those neither working nor actively seeking employment — exceeds 400,000.
The event began with an overview of the center’s operations presented by Son Seo-hee, Director of the University Job Plus Center and Career Development Center, followed by Minister Kim’s remarks. He stated,
“You are not weak job seekers, but future workers who will change the world,” adding, “Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole nation to create quality jobs — and I will do my part with that mindset.”
President Moon Si-yeon responded by saying, “Your decision to visit Sookmyung Women’s University shortly after taking office, with a focus on youth and women, is an excellent choice,” and added,
“We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Employment and Labor to support the young people who have stepped away from work — one of the major challenges facing our society.”
On the day of his visit, Minister Kim listened attentively to students and career consultants as they shared the difficulties and challenges of job hunting.
Park Sohee, a fourth-year student in the Department of Media Studies, said,
“Many companies seem to prefer candidates with experience over new graduates, so I often get rejected at the document screening stage. It made me feel like there aren’t many opportunities for first-time applicants.”
In response, Minister Kim emphasized the need to improve perceptions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and stated that the government would also work to create more quality jobs.
Jung Dagyung, a fourth-year student in the Department of ICT Convergence Engineering, shared,
“I felt overwhelmed while preparing for a technical position at a public enterprise, but the ‘Discovery of Employment’ program helped me assess my current level and find useful information.”
Career consultant Lim Jihyun added,
“Since students often experience discouragement during the job search process, it’s important to also provide psychological counseling to help them continue applying without losing motivation.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor operates University Job Plus Centers at 121 universities nationwide to provide customized employment support services for current students, graduates, and local youth.
Since 2015, our university has participated in this program and is the only university in the Seoul metropolitan area to be recognized as an excellent university for nine consecutive years. Currently, we actively offer specialized programs and initiatives, including industry-academia collaborations with companies like Nestlé Korea and AmorePacific, an MS information security talent development course, an AI literacy enhancement program, as well as programs tailored for alumni.