Yeosu-si to Support Young People Until They Are Fully Settled

61 Projects in 5 Key Areas... 52 Billion Won to Be Invested

Yeosu-si in South Jeolla Province has launched youth support initiatives with the determination to "support local young people until they are fully settled."

Accordingly, the city will invest a total of 52 billion won this year in the field of youth policy to systematically support the entire process from preparation and experience to employment, marriage and housing, and participation.

2025 Youth Day Ceremony. Provided by Yeosu City

In particular, in line with the flow of young people's lives, the city has prepared specific implementation plans for each stage, ranging from easing the cost burden at the job preparation stage, providing local work experience, linking young people to stable jobs, supporting housing and asset building, and encouraging participation in the local community.

The implementation plan consists of 61 projects in 5 areas: jobs (14), housing and settlement (21), daily life (9), communication and participation (10), and education (7). Among these, a large portion of the budget has been intensively allocated to the housing and settlement area.

◆ Lowering exam and student loan burdens... Reducing costs at the preparation stage

In the job preparation process, the city will focus on lowering the economic barriers that arise. The support will center on reducing preparation costs incurred just before employment and ensuring a fair starting line.

Through the Youth Qualification Exam Fee Support Project, the city will cover application fees for exams directly linked to employment, such as language proficiency tests, national technical qualifications, and Korean history exams, to encourage young people to take on new challenges.

In addition, for university students and those in the early stages of their careers, the city will ease repayment burdens through a student loan interest support program and provide a stable residential environment via Yeosu Student Dormitory for students enrolled at universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.

◆ Experience over credentials... Expanding opportunities to work in the local community

The city will also promote a program to revitalize university student field training so that young people can work directly in the region and explore their career paths. In cooperation with local companies, the city will provide training allowances and offer practical, field-based experiences linked to students' majors.

Through the Youth Public Work Program, the city also plans to provide opportunities to work in various fields such as administration, informatization, and public services, helping young people at the initial stage of entering society to deepen their understanding of different job roles.

Through these efforts, the city plans to provide young people with the asset of "having worked in the local community" while creating a structure that connects companies with talent who understand the region.

◆ From jobs to startups... Supporting young people who "work and grow" in the region

The city will support both youth employment and youth startups. In the employment sector, Yeosu will actively operate its unique talent development system, including the Technician School, early-employment contract departments, and the University Job Plus Center.

By fostering customized professionals needed at industrial sites and directly linking them to employment at outstanding local companies, the city will help young people work stably in Yeosu and grow into experts.

At the same time, the city will fully support young people who create their own jobs. Prospective and early-stage youth entrepreneurs will receive up to 20 million won in business commercialization funds, along with startup education and expert mentoring as a package, through the Youth Challenge Startup Support Project.

After starting a business, the city will back them up so that their ventures can take root as real livelihoods by providing on-site customized consulting for young small business owners. Experts in areas such as taxation, labor, and marketing will visit their businesses to diagnose overall management, and the city will provide up to an additional 5 million won in business commercialization funds.

◆ From marriage and housing to assets... 28.2 billion won focused on key settlement areas

The city will concentrate 28.2 billion won on settlement-related measures to resolve housing instability, the biggest factor driving young people out of the region, and to establish a stable foundation for life.

By offering a variety of housing options, the city will provide interest support for jeonse (lump-sum lease) loans (820 million won) for young people without homes and newlyweds, support for housing for newlyweds and families with multiple children (926 million won), a Youth Couples Marriage Congratulatory Fund Support Project (1.624 billion won), and an expansion of Yeosu-style youth rental housing supply (200 units).

In addition, to provide systematic health management support throughout the life cycle from pregnancy to infancy and early childhood, the city will invest approximately 13 billion won (12.882 billion won), thereby easing the financial burden on households.

Furthermore, through programs such as the Youth Hope Stepping-Stone Savings Account and the Youth Tomorrow Savings Account, the city plans to build a settlement ladder that extends through the stages of asset building and family formation, doing its utmost to ensure that young people can work, live, and start families in Yeosu.

◆ Building an online-offline youth platform that combines participation and culture, based on physical spaces

The Yeosu-si Youth Support Center established in Munsu-dong is being operated as an offline platform exclusively for young people, offering policy roundtables, youth capacity-building programs, and employment support.

The Yeosu-si Youth Policy Platform, which will begin operation in March this year, is expected to enhance user convenience and expand the foundation for youth participation as an integrated online platform where young people can check policy information by sector at a glance, apply online, propose policies, and submit their opinions.

In addition, through public contests for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety-type and Jeonnam-type Youth Village Creation Projects, the city plans to continuously expand base spaces where young people can stay in the region, engage in activities, and build relationships.

Moreover, by providing Youth Culture Welfare Cards, support for youth book purchase costs, and the Youth Street Culture Festival, the city plans to broaden everyday access to culture and improve young people's satisfaction with their lives.

An official from the city said, "Yeosu-si's youth policy does not stop at short-term support but focuses on providing a foundation on which young people can design and pursue their own lives in Yeosu," adding, "We will continue to reflect the voices of young people, develop practical and effective policies, and create a youth-friendly city where young people want to stay and to which they want to return."

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