South Korea is building a new defense AI workforce from the university level, with Hanwha Aerospace helping train students and preparing to hire graduates directly.
The initiative will allow the company to identify promising students early and provide defense-focused education tailored to its AI needs.
Students will work with Hanwha’s actual data and take part in company internships, giving them hands-on experience with defense industry projects before entering the workforce.
The effort is part of a six-year, 17.7 billion won ($12.6 million) project under South Korea’s AI Transformation Innovative Talent Development Program. The government will provide 15.5 billion won ($11.5 million), while Hanwha will participate as a joint research and development partner.
Building a Defense AI Talent Pipeline
Changwon National University and Hanwha will select 10 scholarship students each year from third-year undergraduates, with five graduates from the combined bachelor’s and master’s program expected to join the company as full-time employees.
Hanwha’s eight-week new-employee training program will also be incorporated into university coursework, allowing participants to complete the training before joining the company.
Starting in 2027, the university will offer a D.AX (Defense AI Transition) track focused on operational and manufacturing innovation. It plans to enroll more than 50 students annually and produce 250 master’s- and doctoral-level specialists.
University President Park Min-won said the initiative would create a continuous pathway from education to industry and employment.
“This is the fruit of expanding our Glocal University innovation capacity into a large national talent development project,” Park stressed.
“We will establish a new talent development model that connects undergraduate study, graduate school, industrial sites and actual hiring in one continuous path, and raise the competitiveness of South Korea’s defense industry and manufacturing AX.”
