Construction CEOs visit Yonsei University to offer career advice for the AI era

[Financial News] Construction industry CEOs took to the podium at Yonsei University to discuss with around 200 aspiring construction professionals the direction the industry should take in the AI era. As more young people turn away from construction, industry players are making successive visits to universities to attract talent.
According to the Construction Association of Korea on the 8th, it held the “MEET the CEOs: Yonsei University Future Construction Leaders Town Hall Meeting” at 2 p.m. that day in the main auditorium on the first basement level of Yonsei Engineering Research Center at Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
At the town hall meeting, Kim Young-sik, CEO of SK ecoplant, and Hong Seok-hwa, CEO of HL D&I Halla, introduced fields they see as the construction industry’s next growth drivers. They spoke candidly with students about what Yonsei students should prepare for in the AI era and shared recruitment information. Association Chairman Han Seung-gu highlighted the pronounced reluctance among young people to enter the construction industry and offered encouragement and advice to students considering their career paths.
Before the main event, Dr. Kim Min-ju of the Construction & Economy Research Institute of Korea delivered a lecture titled “The Era of Intelligent Construction: How to Give Our Fields of Study Wings with AI.” Dr. Kim presented a vision of how the construction industry will change as advanced industries and AI join forces.
Also attending were Chairman Han and the two CEOs, along with the association’s regional chapter chairs Choi Tae-jin (Seoul), Jeong Hyeong-yeol (Busan), Choi Mun-gyu (Daejeon), Yoo Jeong-seon (North Chungcheong), Hwang Geun-sun (Gyeonggi), and So Jae-cheol (North Jeolla), as well as Lee Chung-jae, head of the Construction & Economy Research Institute of Korea. Representing the university were Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Son Young-jong, Graduate School of Engineering Dean Park Hyo-seon, Engineering Research Institute Director Park Jun-hong, Urban Planning and Engineering Department Chair Yoon Dong-geun, Architectural Engineering Department Chair Son Dong-wook, and specially appointed professor of Urban Planning and Engineering Jin Hyun-hwan.
This was not the first time this year that the association had held an event like this at a university. At a town hall meeting of the same name at Hanyang University in May, Hyundai Engineering & Construction CEO Lee Han-woo met with students, and a recruitment information session followed the event. Kim Young-sik, who took the stage this time, is a semiconductor process expert who previously served in roles including head of mass production at SK hynix. He was named president-designate of SK ecoplant in October last year and officially appointed in December of the same year.
The industry is working hard to attract young talent because its aging workforce has become a serious problem. According to figures from the Korea Research Institute for Construction Personnel Policy, of the 1,009,144 construction engineers as of June 2024, only 158,503 were in their 20s or 30s, accounting for 15.7%. An analysis by the Construction & Economy Research Institute of Korea also found that the average age of construction engineers rose from 38.1 in 2004 to 51.2 in the first half of 2024.
“Construction is rapidly changing into the center of future industries, where AI, robotics and big data converge. The association will be a steadfast supporter so that young people can freely pursue their dreams,” Chairman Han said.

[email protected] Jung Kyung-soo Reporter