Google wants Korea’s young geeks

Google is set to recruit entry-level software engineers from Korea to work at its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Google Korea said Tuesday.

The unprecedented program, which is unique to Korea, is part of the company’s Korea Go Global project, which Google Chairman Eric Schmidt promised during a meeting with President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul last November.

The project is the first of its kind outside of the U.S.

Google has not hired entry-level software engineers from major economies such as Japan or China.

Thanks to aggressive investment in fiber optic networks, Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world and has one of the world’s largest internet networks.

Impressed with the technical workforce here, Schmidt said he wanted to help Korea’s young IT workforce get ahead globally.

“We hope that a lot of young Korean engineers at home and abroad apply for the special recruiting program,” said Cho Won-gyu, head of research and development for Google Korea.

Google Korea runs several other programs such as Startup Korea and Android Developer Lab.

The recruitment targets engineers graduating this year or next from domestic or foreign universities or graduate schools, and the application deadline is April 9.

The company wants engineering students and developers with expertise in distributed operating systems, network system design and mass storage systems.

Google Korea won’t say how many Koreans it plans to recruit. More details can be found at www.google.co.kr/jobs.

By Seo Ji-eun [spring@joongang.co.kr]