On September 12, 2026, Chungcheongnam-do successfully hosted the "2026 Chungnam Youth Job Planning Day" at the Geumgang Singwan Park area in Gongju-si, in conjunction with the "2026 Peak Time Festival". Designed as an immersive, hands-on experience, the event aimed to empower young job seekers by providing direct access to active professionals from major corporations and public institutions, cutting-edge future technologies, and comprehensive employment support services.

The highlight of the event was the small-group mentoring sessions, which featured active practitioners from 23 prominent organizations, including 17 major global and domestic enterprises—such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG, Lotte, Kia, Siemens, and Qatar Airways—as well as 6 public institutions like the National Railroad Authority and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency. Participants had the unique opportunity to engage in intimate discussions covering diverse functional roles such as finance, marketing, research and development (R&D), design, sales, corporate planning, supply chain management (SCM), and global sales. Rather than merely receiving generic recruitment notices, attendees gained practical insights into actual day-to-day responsibilities, necessary core competencies, and strategic career preparation pathways. 

In addition to traditional career mentoring, the venue featured an interactive Artificial Intelligence (AI) and future technology zone. This segment allowed young people to experience the shifting industrial and occupational landscapes firsthand through humanoid and quadrupedal robot demonstrations, virtual reality (VR) and metaverse simulations, and interactive physical AI rock-paper-scissors games with smart robots. These exhibits underscored Chungnam’s commitment to preparing its workforce for the fast-evolving digital economy and next-generation industrial revolutions.

Comprehensive job support infrastructure was also prominently deployed at the venue. University Job Plus Centers from Namseoul University, Baekseok University, Soonchunhyang University, and Cheongwoon University operated consultation boots, offering resume-building workshops, personalized career and competency path explorations, vocational counseling, and styling consultations to boost interview confidence.

Running parallel with the "2026 Peak Time Festival" under the theme "Turning on My Complete Time," the overarching event blended professional advancement with vibrant cultural engagement. Attendees enjoyed youth artist performances, talk concerts, live music performances by popular artists, drone light shows, and local startup showcases, creating a festive ecosystem where career planning and youth culture seamlessly intertwined. 

Lee Jong-ik, Director-General of the Youth and Women Bureau of Chungnam Province, emphasized the core vision behind the initiative: "What young job seekers truly need goes beyond surface-level hiring data; they require genuine opportunities to explore fitting career tracks and listen to authentic stories from the field. Moving forward, Chungnam will continue to expand field-centric employment support programs so that our youth can directly experience diverse industries and successfully map out their professional futures."

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