Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Wednesday for the first time to discuss support measures for young job seekers.
Lee visited the Seoul campus of Samsung Software Academy for Youth (SSAFY), where Chairman Lee personally greeted him in the lobby. The two then held a private meeting for 10 minutes.
“For the country to thrive, businesses must succeed,” Lee Jae-myung said. “In an era of intensifying global competition, it is crucial to enhance the international competitiveness of large corporations.” He added that as Samsung navigates its current challenges, it will help foster a strong industrial ecosystem.
Lee Jae-yong noted that SSAFY has been operated under the company’s initiative of “growing together with society” and said the program is an investment in S. Korea’s future and its young people.
Their meeting covered various topics, including employment support for young job seekers, training talent in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, the special semiconductor law, and proposed amendments to corporate law, according to reports.
Samsung Electronics has run SSAFY since 2018 to develop software talent. The program, offered at campuses in Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Gumi, and Busan, has trained about 9,700 students as of last year, with around 5,000 securing jobs. Starting this year, the initiative has expanded to include young people with high school diplomas.
