South Korea Expands National Technical Qualifications to 272 Items

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has promulgated a partial amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the National Technical Qualification Act, expanding the national catalogue of technical qualifications from 269 to 272 items, renaming several existing qualifications and reassigning the responsible ministry for electrical qualifications. The amendment was published on 7 September 2026 in issue No. 21316 of the Republic of Korea Official Gazette (Gwanbo) as Ministry of Employment and Labor Ordinance No. 2026-483.

The reform is part of a broader realignment of the national technical qualification system, which governs the certification of engineers, technicians and skilled workers across industry. It updates the examination subjects, qualification certificates and the division of responsibilities among the ministries that administer the tests.

New qualifications and renamed titles

The catalogue of national technical qualifications is expanded from 269 to 272 items. Three new qualifications are added to the existing list:

• 피부미용장 (Skin Esthetician Master), under the beauty and grooming field;
• 건축구조기사 (Building Structure Engineer), under the construction field;
• 어업산업기사 (Fisheries Industry Engineer), under the agriculture, forestry and fisheries field.

Two existing qualifications are renamed to reflect their modern scope:

• 기상기사 (Weather Engineer) becomes 기상기후기사 (Weather and Climate Engineer);
• 어로산업기사 (Fishing Industry Engineer) becomes 어업산업기사 (Fisheries Industry Engineer).

The amendment also updates the examination subjects for the renamed weather qualification, adding climate and climate-change topics, and revises the written and practical test syllabi for several other qualifications, including urban planning, sheet-metal fabrication, information processing, information and communications, and industrial safety.

Transfer of jurisdiction over electrical qualifications

A central element of the reform is the reassignment of the ministry responsible for electrical qualifications. Jurisdiction over the 발송배전 (power transmission and distribution), 전기 (electrical), 전기공사 (electrical construction) and 전기응용 (electrical application) qualifications is transferred from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The same ministry also takes over the renamed 기상기후 (weather and climate) qualification, administered through the Korea Meteorological Administration, while the 어업 (fisheries) qualification remains with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. In addition, the 로봇시스템통합 (robot system integration) qualification is added to the catalogue administered by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Phased entry into force

The amendment enters into force on 1 January 2027, with two groups of provisions taking effect on different dates:

• Provisions on the certificate formats, the work-study qualification recognition, the transfer of electrical qualifications and the military technical education institutions take effect on the date of promulgation (7 September 2026);
• Provisions on the robot system integration and fisheries qualifications, the construction and fisheries examination fields, and the expansion of the catalogue to 272 items take effect on 1 January 2028.

Transitional rules provide that holders of the renamed qualifications are deemed to hold the new titles from the respective effective dates, and that candidates who passed the written examination before the change are credited under the new title.

The reform affects a large pool of certified professionals and the industries that rely on them. By expanding the catalogue, renaming qualifications to reflect climate and digital-era roles, and consolidating electrical certification under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the amendment aligns the national qualification system with the country’s energy-transition and industrial-policy priorities.

Source: Republic of Korea Official Gazette (Gwanbo), No. 21316, 7 September 2026, Section I (regulations), p. 4 (official reference: Ministry of Employment and Labor Ordinance No. 2026-483).