AI boom changes Koreans’ dating and education preferences — CNBC
The stock market rise of South Korean companies linked to artificial intelligence and chip manufacturing is affecting dating, entertainment shows and educational preferences in the country. Employees of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are increasingly becoming desirable dating partners due to high incomes and bonuses, CNBC reports.
Employees of chip companies
A representative of South Korean matchmaking company Gayeon said that interest has increased in people working for semiconductor manufacturers, including SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, as well as in AI-related professions. Previously, doctors, lawyers and judges were traditionally named among the most desirable partners in the country.
Samsung and SK Hynix joined the club of companies with a market capitalization exceeding $1 trillion this year. Since the beginning of the year, Samsung shares have risen by about 95%, while SK Hynix shares have gained about 135%.
Last year, SK Hynix agreed to share 10% of its operating profit with employees. According to Reuters calculations, this amounted to about 700 million won per employee, or slightly more than $500,000. This sum was more than 15 times the average annual salary in South Korea. Employees of Samsung’s memory manufacturing division are to receive somewhat smaller payments than their SK Hynix colleagues under the terms of their agreement.
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Shows and engineering education
A reality show featuring Samsung and SK Hynix employees was released on the Teo YouTube channel on August 13. The video received about 650,000 views. A Teo representative explained that the project was intended to show the intense everyday lives of office workers through the theme of dating.
Netflix also released the entertainment show “Rookie Kim’s Mission in the Stock Market,” which documents the trading journey of a popular comedian. At the beginning of the program, he buys several SK Hynix shares. Retail investors make up about a quarter of South Korea’s population, CNBC notes.
Interest in AI has also affected the choice of majors at Seoul National University. This year, nine out of ten engineering college students who had previously not decided on a major chose electrical and computer engineering. In 2023, three out of ten such students chose this field.
CNBC interviewee Lim noted that students are guided not only by the abstract topic of artificial intelligence, but also by the possibility of employment in the hardware divisions of companies such as Samsung and SK Hynix.
