Seoul City Invests 890 Billion KRW for Youth Future

Increase in Funding for 28 Out of 54 Youth Policy Projects

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] On the 20th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held the Youth Policy Coordination Committee at Seoul City Hall and reviewed and approved the 2023 youth policy implementation plan based on the Seoul Metropolitan Government's mid- to long-term youth policy roadmap, the 'Youth Happiness Project.'

This year, a total of 54 projects with an annual investment of approximately 890 billion KRW are planned, continuing multifaceted policy support in areas closely related to youth life such as jobs, welfare, culture, finance, and participation.

The main projects include ▲ Youth Culture Pass for cultural enjoyment of young people taking their first steps into society ▲ Expansion of support for monthly rent deposit insurance fees to stabilize housing for youth amid the socially serious issue of so-called empty-can jeonse ▲ Expansion of the Youth Employment Academy to resolve job mismatches and strengthen youth job competencies.

Among the total 54 projects, budgets for 28 projects have increased compared to the previous year, including newlywed couples and youth rental deposit support (91.3 billion KRW → 99.0 billion KRW), Hope Double Youth Account (22.5 billion KRW → 30.8 billion KRW), and mental health support projects (3.1 billion KRW → 5.0 billion KRW). The advancement of existing policies such as support for isolated and reclusive youth, Seoul Young Tech, Youth All-Information Network, and Youth Life Design School will also continue.

This year, the keyword for Seoul's youth policy direction is 'connection,' reflecting the intention to secure project connectivity and strengthen policy delivery to improve youth policy awareness. To realize this, first, individual policies will be 'packaged,' and second, active expansion of MOUs with external organizations will be pursued.

As the first step, a 'Youth Policy Annual Calendar' will be created to serve as a foundation for policy linkage and expanding youth contact points. This aims to improve the situation where various policies do not reach youth in a timely manner and to easily grasp the status of policies by sector to actively implement inter-policy connections.

Additionally, leveraging youth life contact points, cooperation (MOUs) will be expanded not only with universities where youth are concentrated but also with high schools targeting prospective youth, private organizations, and religious groups. The 'Youth Policy Annual Calendar' will also be shared to make multifaceted efforts to enhance policy awareness.

Kim Cheol-hee, Director of the Seoul Future Youth Planning Group, said, “I always feel regret that many policies for youth have not reached them,” and added, “We will listen to the voices of youth and always consider what is truly necessary for them. We will make great efforts so that any youth in Seoul can experience various youth policies.”

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