Kia Completes Third Cohort of 'Harmonium' Program Supporting the Independence of Multicultural and North Korean Defector Youth; 41 Join Fourth Cohort

[Financial News] Kia has completed the third cohort of 'Harmonium,' a social contribution program that helps multicultural and North Korean defector youth achieve career independence, and has accepted new participants for the fourth cohort.
Kia announced on the 21st that it held 'Harmony Day,' combining the third cohort completion ceremony and fourth cohort entrance ceremony for the 'Harmonium education program,' at the Mondrian Seoul Itaewon Hotel in Yongsan District, Seoul, on the 20th.
About 200 people attended the event, including third cohort graduates, fourth cohort students, parents, Lee Duk-hyun, head of Kia's Sustainability Management Office, Park Jong-pil, secretary general of the Korea Labor Foundation, and employees of partner organizations.
Harmonium is a social contribution initiative that Kia has operated since 2024 to help multicultural youth in Korea achieve social and economic independence and to promote greater acceptance of multiculturalism. The program is held twice a year with the goal of strengthening participants' employment and entrepreneurship capabilities through career planning and work experience. Starting with the third cohort, it also introduced a new curriculum for North Korean defector youth.
Reflecting the preferences of multicultural youth, the program provides specialized training and hands-on work experience in four areas: IT, video, food and beverage (F&B), and landscaping. After completing the training and practical sessions, participants can further develop their career plans through internships linked to social ventures, special employment lectures by Kia employees, and tours of Autoland.
All third cohort students completed the entire program without dropping out. Their participation led to tangible outcomes, including employment at IT companies, admission to related departments such as media and video studies and computer science, and awards at an international youth coffee competition.
The completion ceremony featured a video documenting the third cohort students' career exploration journeys, reflections from internship partner companies, and scholarship awards for eight outstanding graduates. Kim Min-jo, selected as the top graduate, presented a growth report they had written and said, "I was deeply interested in game development, but I lacked opportunities to define my career path. Through Harmonium's job training and internship, I was able to develop my problem-solving skills and confidence. I will use this experience as a stepping stone to grow into a planner who leads the future game industry."
At the subsequent fourth cohort entrance ceremony, third cohort graduates delivered messages of encouragement to the new students, who shared their aspirations for participating in the program.
In his congratulatory remarks, Park Jong-pil, secretary general of the Korea Labor Foundation, said, "I hope the Harmonium education program will become a solid stepping stone for multicultural and North Korean defector youth as they explore their careers and enter society. We will support students from diverse cultural backgrounds so they can build confidence and take their first steps into society."
The fourth cohort will run from October through February next year for a total of 41 students, including 25 multicultural youth and 16 North Korean defector youth.
Lee Duk-hyun, head of Kia's Sustainability Management Office, said, "As the multicultural population continues to grow, supporting young people from diverse backgrounds so they can demonstrate their capabilities is an important task for enhancing the sustainability of our society. Based on cooperation with diverse partners, we will continue to broaden the foundation for inclusive growth so that multicultural and North Korean defector youth can develop into future talent and become self-reliant, healthy members of society."

[email protected] Kim Dong-chan Reporter