Donghae-si Finalizes Five-Year Youth Policy Blueprint... Focus on Jobs and Housing Stability

36 Projects Focused on 5 Key Areas:
Jobs, Housing, Education, Welfare & Culture, and Participation & Rights

Total Investment of 25.5 Billion Won with Participation from 13 Departments

Donghae-si in Gangwon-do announced on the 11th that it held a Youth Policy Committee meeting on the 6th and finalized the "2nd Donghae-si Basic Plan for Youth Policy," which sets the direction for youth policy over the next five years, along with the "2026 Donghae-si Youth Policy Implementation Plan."

Donghae-si held a meeting of the Donghae-si Youth Policy Committee on the 6th. Photo provided by Donghae-si.

This plan was established in accordance with the "Donghae-si Basic Ordinance on Youth" and was prepared to actively respond to the deepening social and economic difficulties faced by young people and the resulting risk of local extinction due to youth outmigration.

The youth population of Donghae-si (ages 18 to 45) is projected to be 23,982 as of 2025, and it has been on a steady decline over the past 10 years. The main cause of youth outmigration was found to be a lack of jobs, while housing costs were identified as the expenditure item that young people feel is the heaviest burden. As a result, job creation and housing stability were confirmed as the core policy tasks.

In response, last year Donghae-si promoted a contest project to support region-specific jobs tailored to local industries for young people, discovering and implementing youth employment projects that reflect local characteristics. This year, the city is working to further strengthen the foundation for youth employment by applying for contest projects with more advanced programs.

In addition, to alleviate the burden of housing costs, the city is simultaneously implementing practical housing welfare support policies such as support for housing loan interest for newlyweds and temporary special support for monthly rent for young people (expanding the number of months of support), thereby seeking to improve settlement conditions for young residents.

Based on these conditions and the performance of its policies, the city has set its vision as "Change Led by Youth, Donghae-si Growing Together," and has oriented its policies toward building an integrated support system for each stage of life, focusing on five key areas: jobs, housing, education, welfare and culture, and participation and rights.

Specific initiatives include 36 projects such as the construction of a Youth Dodam Center, a support project to foster young restaurant entrepreneurs, the creation of Happy Housing for young people and newlyweds, a Youth Challenge Support Project to strengthen youth employment capabilities, and a Youth Asset Formation Support Project. The city plans to invest a total of 25.5 billion won in 2026 alone and to gradually implement medium- and long-term youth policies involving 13 departments.

Shim Gyu-eon, Mayor of Donghae-si, said, "The purpose of establishing youth policy plans is to reflect the opinions of young people in policy and to bring about tangible changes in their lives," adding, "We will continue to discover and improve policies so that young people can grow in the region and participate as key actors in municipal administration."

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