Samsung chairman presents medals at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 closing ceremony

Samsung's Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 closing ceremony.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong. congratulates Team Korea's winners during WorldSkills Lyon 2024's closing ceremony at Goupama Stadium on Sunday. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the closing ceremony of the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 competition at Groupama Stadium on Sunday, a global championship for young professionals that the company has sponsored for almost two decades.

Samsung has backed the biennial event through nine consecutive competitions since 2007, the sole Korean firm to hold the top sponsorship title.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, middle, poses for a photo with Team Korea's participants in WorldSkills Lyon 2024 during the event's closing ceremony at Goupama Stadium on Sunday. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Lee met with Team Korea participants at the ceremony and personally awarded medals to the winners. The national team finished as the championship's runners-up behind China, winning 10 golds, 13 silvers, nine bronzes and 11 Medallions for Excellence.

“The sweat of young skilled workers has formed the foundation of Korea as a technological powerhouse,” Lee said. “We will provide full support to ensure that even those who do not attend university can be respected and develop as skilled technicians.” The event marked Lee’s third time attending a WorldSkills Competition, following the 2009 iteration in Calgary, Canada, and the 2022 special edition in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

A total of 24 Samsung employees participated in the Lyon event across 19 categories.

Samsung has been training WorldSkills competitors at the Samsung Skills Training Centre in Suwon, Gyeonggi, which is equipped with training materials related to various disciplines such as industrial machinery and mobile robotics.

The firm has also sponsored the National Skills Competition, a state-backed program meant to foster young skilled workers, since 2007, for which it recruited 1,600 outstanding high school graduates with technical expertise.

After the closing ceremony, Lee visited Poland to meet with employees at the company's research centers and inspect its home appliance factory in the country during the Chuseok harvest festival.

Samsung operates a production plant in Wronki as well as a sales subsidiary and research institute in Warsaw.

The Wronki plant has been operational since 2010 and manufacturers appliances such as refrigerators and washers.

The chairman often visits Samsung’s overseas subsidiaries during Chuseok and the Lunar New Year, when he inspects production facilities and provides encouragement to employees working internationally.

Lee visited Samsung SDI's battery plant in Malaysia during the Lunar New Year in February and spent time overseeing operations and meeting employees in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt over Chuseok last year.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]