Dongducheon City Selected for "Gyeonggi Province Lifelong Learning Activation Support Project"

On April 28, the city of Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province announced that it has been selected for the "2026 Gyeonggi Province Lifelong Learning Activation Support Project" organized by the Gyeonggi Lifelong Education Promotion Agency.

A view of Dongducheon City Hall. Courtesy of Dongducheon City

With this selection, Dongducheon City secured 30 million won in provincial funding and will launch the "L.I.N.K 2.0 (Self-Sustaining, Intelligent, and Practicing)" model. This initiative further advances last year's Lifelong Learning Opportunity Special Zone project in collaboration with universities and lifelong learning villages in the city.

The model aims to establish a system in which the outcomes of learning are fed back into the community as economic self-sufficiency and a welfare safety net. The main areas of focus are as follows:

First, the city will promote the "E-um Plus" village business independence project. By supporting product branding that highlights the unique characteristics of each village and donating profits generated through the "E-um Market" as lifelong learning scholarships to the community, Dongducheon intends to establish a virtuous cycle in which learning leads directly to economic independence.

Additionally, the city will operate the "Senior AI Design Writers Group" to foster active value creation by citizens. By utilizing cutting-edge generative AI technology, the program will support creative activities for senior learners, and their design outputs will be returned to local community organizations as talent donations, thereby enhancing seniors' sense of social efficacy.

To ensure universal access to learning, Dongducheon will introduce an "Official Digital Tutor Certification System." Digital learning communities trained as part of last year's Lifelong Learning Opportunity Special Zone project will receive private certification. These certified tutors will be dispatched to local senior centers and other facilities to provide customized, hands-on digital literacy education for vulnerable groups, thereby establishing a robust digital welfare safety net across Dongducheon City.

The head of the Dongducheon City Future Education Promotion Institute stated, "Being selected for this project is the result of ongoing collaboration between local residents and related organizations to address community issues," and added, "We will establish a robust lifelong learning model that enhances the self-sufficiency of old downtown neighborhoods and encourages social participation among the elderly."

The city plans to complete the submission of the grant application by May 29, and to officially launch the project in June. In addition, the results will be continuously shared and expanded through the government-industry-academia network.

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