Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The Ministry of National Defense is working to accelerate the job-finding process for young soldiers who have just been discharged. On March 20th, the ministry announced a "plan to activate employment and start-ups by young soldiers" and held a "job fair for soldiers to be discharged" on March 21st at KINTEX in Ilsan.  

The purpose of the fair, which was co-hosted by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is to connect soldiers who are about to be discharged with good quality jobs, while giving companies that are having difficulty finding talent an opportunity to recruit national defense human resources equipped with excellent capabilities and leadership.  

A one-day event, the fair was attended by about 200 companies, including 48 large enterprises such as POSCO, Lotte, Hanhwa, GS Retail, Binggrae, Namyang Dairy Product, and Hanmi Pharm, and 138 small and medium-sized enterprises aiming to scout excellent individuals. Twenty thousand soldiers who are about to be discharged also visited the fair. The soldiers are expected to find various jobs, including administrative positions, personnel and general affairs positions, and security and guard positions, through on-the-spot interviews. 

It is expected that this fair will lead to substantial results for the job-seekers and companies who participated because it was well-integrated into programs before and after the fair to prevent it from ending as a simple one-off event. The Military Outplacement Training Institute operated a "proactive employment academy" for 1000 soldiers starting last month, and opened an "online employment military academy" site to offer employment-related services, including employment learning contents and writing a resume, based on a yearly plan starting this month. After the fair is closed, an event will be held to connect companies with an additional demand for recruiting with job-seekers during the job fair by operating an exclusive "follow-up center." In addition, a soldier-company matching service will continue until this November, with a dedicated consultant for each of seven regions.

There is a consensus in the field on the various and unique plans that are substantially helping both job hunters and recruiters. The "Artificial Intelligence (AI) Employment Matching System," connecting the soldiers finding a job and the companies, has been shown for the first time this year, and a professional consultant in each domestic and foreign employment field and a "new job experience center" related to the fourth industrial revolution have received rave reviews. The Ministry of National Defense said, “The AI Employment Matching System is a program that connects suitable individuals and companies after an examination of suitability based on the job competence input by job seekers and the required competence input by companies, and it is expected that the system will contribute to the spread of blind recruiting, including an increase of the matching rate in employment.” In addition, various cultural events including free headshots for young soldiers preparing their resumes received positive responses, as well as the customized consultation for employment, including career counseling and how to prepare a resume and a cover letter, which were offered at the "career consulting center" and "employment consulting center." The "new job experience center" introduced promising jobs of the future that were related to the fourth industrial revolution, such as cyber security managers, and offered an opportunity for experience.

“The soldiers to be discharged are human resources with high leadership and adaptability to different organizations. I hope this job fair will generate momentum toward designing a bright future for our society, in addition to the employment of the soldiers to be discharged,” said Seo Ju-seok, Deputy Minister of National Defense. He then added, “The Ministry of National Defense will continue to faithfully play an important role as a bridge between the discharged soldiers and the companies that need them.”

By Yeong-Sun, Lee < ys119@dema.mil.kr >

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