A send-off ceremony was held for the WorldSkills Competition, which is set to take place in Shanghai, China, in September of this year.

Held every two years, the WorldSkills Competition covers a wide range of fields, from long-standing traditional skills like floristry and baking to cutting-edge technologies such as aircraft maintenance and cybersecurity.

This year's competition introduces two new events: software testing and dental prosthetics.

Out of a total of 64 job categories, South Korea will be sending 56 athletes to compete in 50 categories.

[Lee Byung-hoon / Head of the South Korean Delegation to the WorldSkills Competition (Chairman of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea): "Just like K-culture, which is creating a craze around the world, I hope you will clearly demonstrate with your own hands that K-technology is also the best and top-tier in the world."]

The national team athletes have spent months in intensive training camps, honing their skills from morning until late at night.

[Song Hyun-jun / National Team Athlete in Industrial Electronics (Affiliated with Samsung Electro-Mechanics): "I train with the mindset of beating myself every single time. At the 2026 Shanghai WorldSkills Competition, I will definitely win a gold medal this time."]

South Korea first participated in the WorldSkills Competition in 1967 and has achieved the overall championship 19 times to date.

At the previous 2024 Lyon WorldSkills Competition, the country finished second overall behind China with 12 gold medals, 14 silver medals, and 9 bronze medals.

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea, serving as the WorldSkills Korea Committee, projected that out of the 50 categories South Korea is participating in based on regular evaluation match results, 32 are strong contenders for medals, with 11 categories specifically favored to win gold.

To claim its 20th overall title, South Korea must defeat its strongest competitor, China, and the fact that this year's event is being hosted in Shanghai, China, presents an obstacle to overcome.

The upcoming Shanghai WorldSkills Competition will run from September 22 to 27.

(Reported by Jeon Hyeong-u, Produced by SBS Digital News)