* Samsung, SK Hynix's bonuses, share prices shift public

perception

* Matchmakers say the firms' staff are sought after as

partners

* Students, jobseekers flock towards chip engineering

By Heekyong Yang, Hyunjoo Jin and Heejung Jung

SEOUL, June 23 (Reuters) - The global AI boom has turned

South Korean chipmaking giants SK Hynix and Samsung

Electronics ( SSNLF ) into stock market darlings. It has also

thrust their employees into the top tier of the country's highly

competitive marriage market.

South Korean matchmaking firms say people working at the

firms are now being ranked alongside doctors, lawyers and people

from other traditionally elite professions as hefty bonuses

linked to the global AI boom create a new class of affluent

employees.

Career consultants say job seekers are increasingly going

after roles at Samsung and SK Hynix, including high school

students, while some cram schools have started courses to help

applicants prepare for job interviews at the chip giants.

"If SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) employees used to be

classified as B+ or A-grade candidates, today they are closer to

A+," said Son Dong-gyu, chief executive of matchmaking agency

Bien Aller.

"Traditionally, A+ candidates would include doctors,

lawyers, other highly paid professionals or people from

exceptionally wealthy families," Son said.

Samsung and SK Hynix employees are in line for generous bonuses

as the global AI boom fuels demand for the firms' memory chip

products, driving share prices and profits to record highs. On

Monday, SK Hynix overtook Samsung to become South Korea's most

valuable firm by market value.

SK Hynix revised its bonus structure last year and last month,

Samsung struck a pay deal with its union that included

performance bonuses of around $416,000 for some chip employees.

South Korean workers earned an average of about 45 million won

($29,758) a year in 2024, according to government data.

"People still prefer traditional professions such as

doctors, lawyers and dentists," matchmaking consultant Lee

Sung-mi of agency SUNOO said. "But recently, when we introduce

someone working at SK Hynix, the reaction is often 'Wow, people

like that are here too?'"

MOVE OVER DOCTORS, LAWYERS

The chip fanfare is also reshaping educational paths in South

Korea where the medical and legal professions have long been the

careers of choice.

Some students are even looking to vocational schools, since some

jobs at semiconductor factories need only a high school diploma.

"Many of my friends are envious of me," said 19-year-old Jung

Sung-chan, a student at Pyeongtaek Meister High School, who got

a job offer from Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) as a chip facility

engineer.

"Honestly, even if you go to university first, it is hard to

find a job these days. So, I think that might be one of the

reasons why this place is becoming more popular recently," he

said.

Career advisers, university professors and students also say

they are feeling the shift on university campuses. While Samsung

and SK Hynix have long been considered prestigious family

conglomerate-run companies in South Korea, their appeal long

lagged the appeal of being a doctor or lawyer.

"The competition (to get into Samsung and SK Hynix) has become

intense," said Park Jun-young, a former Samsung Electronics

employee who now works as a career consultant for university

students. "It is almost beginning to resemble the college

entrance race itself."

Growing interest from students in a semiconductor engineering

degree that Korea University first launched with SK Hynix in

2021 drove the program's admission score to a historic high this

academic year, according to data analysed by Jongro Academy.

Koo Bon-ho, currently in his first year of the course, said a

chip engineering job seemed like a safe long-term bet. "Compared

with my friends, I feel relatively secure about employment

prospects."

Concerns over job security have been growing in South Korea,

with the unemployment rate among South Koreans aged 15 to 29

rising to 6.1% in 2025, up 0.2 percentage points from a year

earlier.

Professor Lee Hyung-min of Korea University's Semiconductor

Engineering Department said the industry is finally receiving

recognition commensurate with its importance to South Korea's

economy, which relies on chips for more than 40% of its exports.

Lee, the matchmaking consultant, said she expected the appeal

and good fortunes of the chip sector were unlikely to wear off

anytime soon.

"Many people expect the semiconductor industry to remain in

a boom cycle for at least the next two to three years."

($1 = 1,512.2000 won)