Yongin City, led by Mayor Lee Sang-il, announced that the Yongin Semiconductor High School will accept applications for new students from November 3 to 5, ahead of its opening in March 2027.
The school will be located on the site of the former Namgok Branch School in Nam-sa-eup, covering an area of 17,634 square meters. Initially, it will operate as a specialized high school, with plans to transition to a Meister high school by March 2028. In June, the Ministry of Education designated this school as one of six Meister high schools nationwide.
At its opening, the school will offer two departments: Semiconductor Manufacturing and Semiconductor Equipment, with a total of 24 classes (16 students per class). Once it becomes a Meister high school, the curriculum will be revamped to include a comprehensive semiconductor manufacturing process and focus on equipment maintenance, automation control, and facility operation.
The city has signed agreements with 52 semiconductor companies to ensure that graduates can be immediately employed, securing job commitments for 109 graduates. By 2030, when the first class graduates, the city expects to provide a stable workforce for operating and maintaining semiconductor production facilities in the Yongin area.
Since taking office in July 2022, Mayor Lee has met with officials from the Ministry of Education and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to request support for establishing the Meister high school. The city received a commitment from the government to expedite the process during a public forum held in March 2024 at Yongin City Hall, and in August of the same year, it obtained approval from the Ministry of Education for the designation of the semiconductor specialized high school. Construction began in December 2025.
The city is also providing training for current employees alongside high school education. Starting in 2024, the city will operate a semiconductor executive program (SLP) in collaboration with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), which has already produced 55 graduates from its fifth cohort, with eight more currently enrolled until December 16. The city plans to utilize the advanced semiconductor testbed fab, Trinity Fab, being developed within the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, for the demonstration of new technologies by small and medium-sized enterprises starting in July 2027.
Mayor Lee stated, "The establishment and opening of the Yongin Semiconductor High School signify the official start of semiconductor talent development in Yongin."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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