Seoul City Supports 232 Isolated and Reclusive Youth with Customized Career Exploration Programs

Specialized Programs for Isolated Youth Struggling to Enter Society and Reclusive Youth Having Difficulty Going Outside

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 12th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will conduct specialized programs until the end of the year for 232 isolated youth who have difficulty entering society and reclusive youth who do not leave their homes.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is collaborating with public and private institutions and related professional organizations to continuously identify isolated and reclusive youth facing difficulties throughout the region, not only during the official recruitment period but also on an ongoing basis, and to support the provision of specialized programs.

The specialized programs are conducted as the Isolated Youth Support Program and the Reclusive Youth Support Program. The Isolated Youth Support Program, now in its second year, provides career exploration and career consulting to low-income isolated youth who have given up job searching due to economic and psychological difficulties. This year, 518 isolated youth applied, which is about 2.6 times more than the 195 applicants last year, indicating that it is a comprehensive support service necessary for isolated youth who find it difficult to enter society.

The Reclusive Youth Support Program helps reclusive youth who experience emotional conflicts and trauma at school and home to start activities outside their homes. This project is being piloted for the first time this year, identifying and supporting 70 reclusive youth who have experienced long-term social isolation due to feelings of isolation and frustration, achieving results beyond expectations.

Kim Cheol-hee, Director of the Future Youth Planning Team of Seoul City, said, “Support for isolated and reclusive youth can no longer be seen solely as a family issue; it is now a problem that the public sector must take the lead on. Supporting isolated and reclusive youth will be the optimal way to prevent an increase in social costs that must be paid in the future.” He added, “Next year, we will enhance and systematize the project both quantitatively and qualitatively so that more youth can receive support.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.