South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT held the 2026 National Happiness IT Competition on Monday to improve AI and digital skills among digitally vulnerable groups.

Marking its 24th year, the National Happiness IT Competition is hosted by the ministry and organised by the National Information Society Agency (NIA) and metropolitan governments. This year's event, held at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Seoul, was run as a sub-event of the National AI Competition, which has attracted more than 3.17 million participants cumulatively.

A preliminary round held in July at test sites in 17 metropolitan cities and provinces and at 19 training centres of the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities drew 995 participants. Of them, 259 advanced to the finals, including 135 people with disabilities, 108 older and middle-aged participants and 16 from multicultural families.

The finals were held in 3 categories: AI problem-solving, digital daily life and digital civic participation. A total of 53 certificates, including a Prime Minister's Award and an award from the deputy prime minister and minister of science and ICT, will be presented to top participants. The awards ceremony will be held next month in 5 regions - Seoul and Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Yeongnam and Honam - in the form of on-site presentations for winners who have difficulty travelling or live far away.

The ministry also operates 69 AI Digital Learning Centres nationwide to strengthen capabilities among digitally vulnerable groups. It provides annual training for 1,300,000 people, from using smartphones and kiosks to using generative AI. It also runs home-visit digital education for people with severe disabilities and group training for people with disabilities.

Hong Sung-wan (홍성완), director general for ICT policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "In the era of a major AI transformation, it is important that all citizens, including vulnerable groups, enjoy the benefits of AI and participate together." He added, "We will continue to expand tailored digital skills education so that anyone can easily learn and use AI and digital technologies."