Gwangju Mayor Candidate Kang Gijeong Holds Policy Meeting with Youth Organizations

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Kang Ki-jung, a Democratic Party of Korea candidate for mayor of Gwangju, held a meeting with youth organizations to brainstorm ways to support their healthy growth.

The Gwangju Youth Policy Coalition held a 'Policy Meeting to Change the Lives of Youth' at the Kangchu Camp on the afternoon of the 14th.

The Youth Coalition stated, "Youth policies must be visible in the upcoming June 1 local elections," and proposed 11 policies including ▲payment of youth allowances ▲implementation of psychological trauma support systems for youth ▲expansion of autonomous spaces for youth in living areas ▲increased budget support for alternative schools and guarantee of learning rights for out-of-school youth ▲strengthening education on teenage civic suffrage and conducting mock voting.

They also pointed out the frequent changes in the departments and officials responsible for youth policies as a problem causing inconsistency in youth policy.

In response, candidate Kang said, "The 11 policy tasks proposed by the Youth Policy Coalition are already included in my pledges," adding, "Furthermore, we need to reestablish welfare standards across the entire social service sector, including youth counselors, to improve workers' treatment and create conditions where youth can freely engage in activities."

Candidate Kang particularly emphasized that "the placement of dedicated youth development officials and improvement and strengthening of support for youth counselors" must be prioritized.

Additionally, he newly proposed ▲payment of education participation allowances for out-of-school youth ▲expansion of youth ID issuance and introduction of youth transportation PASS cards ▲youth travel vouchers.

Finally, candidate Kang said, "Policies do not falter because officials change, but because there is no mid- to long-term plan for youth policy," and added, "To support the healthy growth of youth, the public and private sectors must join forces to design a century-long plan and establish detailed implementation strategies."

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