Pohang City Selected for Youth Challenge Support Project... Secures 510 Million KRW in National Funding

Laying the Foundation for a Youth-Friendly Pohang City
Supporting Employment for 120 Youths, Including Those Who Have Given Up Job Seeking, Through Project Selection

Pohang City has been selected for the ‘2025 Youth Challenge Support Project’ organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, securing 510 million KRW in national funding.

With this selection, the city plans to actively support young people who are not employed and are not participating in education or vocational training?those in a ‘resting’ state?to regain their job-seeking motivation and enter society.

The project targets youth aged 18 to 34 who, as of the application date, have no history of employment, education, or vocational training participation for more than six months, youth who have been protected in child welfare facilities and have left within the past five years or are scheduled to leave but have extended their stay.

Additionally, youth entering or leaving youth welfare facilities, North Korean defectors, and regionally specialized target groups who work part-time less than 30 hours per week for livelihood are also included.

The program consists of ▲short-term (minimum 5 weeks, 30 participants) ▲mid-term (minimum 15 weeks, 60 participants) ▲long-term (5 months or more, 30 participants) courses. Pohang City will conduct the program for a total of 120 youth, offering tailored programs such as close counseling to restore confidence, career exploration, strengthening employment capabilities, hobby development, club activities, and employment/startup education linked with local companies.

Participants will receive participation allowances based on their level of involvement: ▲500,000 KRW for short-term ▲1,500,000 KRW for mid-term ▲2,500,000 KRW for long-term. For mid-term participants, an additional 200,000 KRW incentive is provided upon program completion, and for long-term participants, a 200,000 KRW program completion incentive plus a 300,000 KRW job-seeking incentive after employment or startup activities post-project completion are offered.

Moreover, mid- and long-term participants who find employment or start a business within six months after completion and maintain employment for three months will receive a 500,000 KRW employment/startup incentive.

Pohang City plans to establish detailed project plans and begin recruiting youth and operating the program in cooperation with the Gyeongbuk Employment Growth Support Center Pohang Branch, which participated in the application as the operating institution.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “We will collaborate with the Ministry of Employment and Labor Pohang Employment and Labor Office to solidly implement the Youth Challenge Support Project, laying a strong foundation for the mutual growth of local youth and Pohang City. We will actively support continuous job-seeking activities and policy linkage after program completion so that young people can design a bright future in the region.”

Pohang City is also building a foundation to address youth employment issues by being selected for the ‘Pohang Core Industry Company Support and Retired Youth Job-Seeking Support Project’ under the city-county specialized customized job projects and is participating in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Youth Village Making Project’ contest.

Youth forum held last April at Pohang Youth Center & Youth Startup Platform.

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