WorldSkills Korea Champion to become the nation’s Technical Delegate

WorldSkills Korea’s Technical Delegate Dong-He An knows exactly what it means to face the challenges of international competitions.

It was back in August 1983 when he travelled to Linz, Austria as a member of the Korean team for Precision Instrument Making. By the end of the 27th WorldSkills Competition, he was standing on the winner’s podium, proudly clutching his gold medal.

That was 37 years ago, but “achieving and reaching what I had planned and prepared for gave me the great sense of accomplishment,” Dong-He An says.

The first steps to gold began when he was still in high school and saw the potential of plastic injection moulding.

“It sounded very interesting, and this whole industry seemed a bright prospect. Fortunately, I found out that there was a team for the Competition in school. It definitely drew my interest, and led me to the 1983 Competition.”

Returning home, there was a job waiting with LG Electronics, but after working for other companies, he decided it was time to go it alone. He now owns a company making and supplying plastic injection moulds internationally for the past 17 years but still finds time to pass on his knowledge and skills to young students in Korea.

Dong-He An credits the WorldSkills Competition for inspiring and motivating him on the road to his future, with a way of thinking “that having and achieving a dream, or even a small goal in my life, by putting all the effort and struggles will always bring powerful confidence and positive energy.”

After serving as an Expert in Plastic Die Engineering, and the Technical Delegate Assistant in WorldSkills Kazan 2019, he is now Technical Delegate for Korea.

His hope is to “lead and support our next generation to establish good work ethics and responsibilities. It is a great honor to be a part of WorldSkills. With this opportunity, I sincerely want to support WorldSkills continuous developments and great achievements.”