South Gyeongsang education office opens career education conference amid AI era

The South Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education opened the 2026 Career Education Conference on Thursday under the theme "Nurturing Dreams and Opening the Future of Children in the AI Era." The two-day event, held at the Career Education Center, was organized to discuss the direction of career and college guidance in schools as society undergoes an AI-driven transformation.

The opening ceremony began with a performance by the string orchestra of Milseong Girls' Middle School and drew more than 420 attendees, including South Gyeongsang Province Superintendent of Education Kwon Sun-ki, Provincial Council Education Committee Chair Jeong Jae-uk, Miryang Mayor Ahn Byeong-gu, district education chiefs, school principals and career guidance teachers from across the province.

On the first day, keynote lectures were delivered by Lee Min-seok, a professor at Kookmin University, on "Growth and Career in the AI Era," and by Kim Beom-jun, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, on "Art Through the Lens of Physics." The two lectures explored social changes driven by advances in AI technology and connected statistical physics to art and career development. Breakout sessions led by classroom practitioners followed.

On Friday, Lee Kyung-jeon, a professor at Kyung Hee University, is scheduled to deliver a keynote on "AI-Plus Economy and Career Education," while Noh Gyu-sik, director of the Study Brain Institute, will speak on "Coaching Strategies for Self-Direction and Motivation to Unlock Students' Potential." Heo Jeong-eun, director of the Busan Career and College Guidance Support Center, will then lecture on "Getting Your Child into University Under the 2028 College Admissions Framework."

The event was designed to let school administrators, teachers and parents experience the career education process from a student's perspective by visiting 30 hands-on booths, including a permanent experience hall and programs run by regional career education support centers. The education office said the aim is to help participants better understand what students go through during career exploration and sharpen their own guidance skills.

"In this era of AI transformation, we need to move away from staying on a single career path for 30 to 40 years," said Kang Seung-yeong, an education research officer. "The core goal of this conference is to help students develop 'career resilience' — the ability to continuously explore and forge their own paths amid rapid social change — along with the capacity for self-directed learning."

In his welcoming remarks, Superintendent Kwon said, "Children who will live in the age of AI must build the strength to chart their own lives autonomously, grounded in solid foundational skills, creativity and character. I hope this conference becomes an opportunity to broaden the horizons of career education in South Gyeongsang Province."