Samsung chief vows support for skilled professionals

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is taking a commemorative photo with the Korean delegation at the closing ceremony of the WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France, on the 15th. (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics Co. Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee attended the closing ceremony of the 2024 WorldSkills Competition on Sunday, continuing his on-site management activities during the Chuseok holiday. He also visited Samsung Electronics’ production facilities in Europe.

According to Samsung Electronics on Wednesday, Lee attended the closing ceremony of the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 held at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France, on Sunday (local time). He encouraged the Korean national team and awarded medals to the winners.

This is the third time Lee has attended the competition, after Calgary, Canada, in 2009 and Goyang, Korea, in 2022.

Korea won 43 medals in total at this year’s competition, including 10 golds, 13 silvers, 9 bronzes, and 11 excellence awards, achieving second place overall.

Lee expressed his gratitude and respect for the young skilled professionals at the event, telling them that “the sweat and hard work of young technical talents form the foundation of Korea as a technological powerhouse.”

He also promised to provide ample support so that young talents can be respected and grow as professionals, even without attending university.

Samsung has been sponsoring the WorldSkills Competition for nine consecutive events since the 2007 competition in Shizuoka, Japan. Since the 2013 event in Leipzig, Germany, it has been the only Korean company to participate as a top-tier title sponsor.

Lee traveled to Poland after the closing ceremony, where he toured a Samsung store in Warsaw and inspected the company’s research center and home appliance production facility.

Lee has maintained a practice of visiting overseas business sites during major holidays to review local operations and encourage employees.

During the Lunar New Year holiday this year, Lee visited Samsung SDI Co.‘s battery plant in Malaysia. In 2023, he checked on business operations and motivated employees in Saudi Arabia during the Chuseok holiday.

Lee will visit the Czech Republic from Thursday as part of the economic delegation that accompanies Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the Central European country.

The delegation also includes other business tycoons, including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo.