Lee Dae-hee (right), head of the human resources development institute at Hyundai Department Store Group, and Tony Bingham, CEO of Association for Talent Development, pose for a photo at the 2026 ATD Awards held in Los Angeles on Monday. (Hyundai Department Store Group) Hyundai Department Store Group said Wednesday it has won the top honor at the Association for Talent Development’s ATD 2026 Awards, becoming the first Korean retailer to do so.The award is presented to companies with talent development systems that meet global standards and closely align with corporate strategy.Founded in 1943, the Association for Talent Development is the world’s largest professional association for talent development, with around 30,000 members worldwide. Its annual awards are regarded as among the industry’s most prestigious honors.“We received strong recognition for treating talent development as a core business strategy rather than simply an employee training program,” a Hyundai Department Store Group official said.The group operates customized training programs for its roughly 14,000 employees based on rank, role and career stage. It also runs an in-house “company university” focused on practical retail education, which has produced more than 1,700 graduates since its launch in 1994.As generative AI reshapes the business landscape, the company said it was strengthening data literacy and AI-focused training programs to foster a more tech-savvy workforce. Its AI mentor program, “Hai,” and web drama-style corporate education content were recognized for their innovation.Leveraging its expertise in human resource development, the group is also participating in Seoul National University’s interdisciplinary minor in retail studies, Korea’s first university-level retail specialization program.“This award is meaningful because it recognizes the group’s unique philosophy and system for talent development,” said Lee Dae-hee, head of the group’s human resources development institute.“We will continue building a future-oriented talent development system by expanding cooperation with educational and research institutions.”