Seoul Recognized as Excellent Institution for Youth Policy for Four Consecutive Years... "Completing the Special City for Youth Growth"

Selected by the Office for Government Policy Coordination... Recognized as an Excellent Institution Every Year Since 2022
Youth Employment Academy Nurtures AI Talent... 92.7% Satisfaction Rate
Practical Support for Youth Including Moving Assistance and Financial Counseling

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 5th that it has been selected as an excellent institution for the fourth consecutive year in the "2025 Youth Policy Implementation Performance Evaluation" conducted by the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

This year, the Office for Government Policy Coordination evaluated 47 central government agencies and 17 metropolitan and provincial governments across seven areas, including employment, housing, and education. The evaluation criteria included the improvement of youth life (50 points), reflection of youth life and environment (30 points), and participation and communication in youth policy (20 points), and selected outstanding institutions based on the results.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is announcing the 'Youth Employment Academy 2.0 Promotion Plan.' November 11, 2025. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Seoul received favorable evaluations for initiatives such as the "Youth Employment Academy," a practical talent training center in the field of artificial intelligence (AI); "Seoul Young Tech," which offers one-on-one financial counseling and financial education for young people; and the "Seoul Youth Recovery Center," which helps socially isolated and withdrawn youths reintegrate into society.

With this year's selection, Seoul has now been recognized as an excellent institution for four consecutive years, since the evaluation began in 2022.

In the case of the Youth Employment Academy, last year the curriculum, which was previously focused on software and digital transformation, was completely revamped to be AI-based, producing 3,303 AI innovation talents to date. The employment rate rose from 76.1% in 2024 to 77% last year, and participant satisfaction increased from 91.3% to 92.7% during the same period. The goal is to nurture more than 30,000 AI talents and achieve an employment rate of 80-90% by 2030.

In the area of housing, a representative project is the "Youth Real Estate Brokerage Fee and Moving Expense Support Program," which aims to alleviate the burdens of young people who move frequently and live in relatively poor housing conditions. Last year, a total of 9,579 individuals received an average of 333,000 won per person in real estate brokerage fees and moving expenses.

Last year, the program expanded its support to include young victims of rental fraud, young family caregivers, and adolescent parents. This year, young tenants affected by the Youth Safe Housing program and young disabled veterans have been added as priority beneficiaries.

Seoul Young Tech, which provides financial counseling and financial education, was recognized as an excellent policy in the financial sector. Analysis of participants who have been involved with Seoul Young Tech for more than two years found that their net assets and total assets increased by 44.8% and 39.1%, respectively, compared to their first counseling session, demonstrating the program's effectiveness.

In the welfare sector, the Seoul Youth Recovery Center, which helps socially isolated and withdrawn youths reintegrate into society, is a representative initiative. Last year, the degree of social isolation among these youths improved by 13.3%, and their self-efficacy increased by 13.0% after participating in the city's programs.

In February, Seoul declared this year as the "First Year of the Youth Growth Special City" and announced the "3rd Basic Youth Policy Plan," which fundamentally shifts the policy paradigm from post-support to proactive investment, and from welfare-centered to growth-centered approaches. The core aim is to support young people, the driving force behind national and urban growth, so they can develop autonomously.

Kim Cheolhee, Director of Future Youth Planning at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "We will complete 'Seoul, the Special City for Youth Growth,' which fully supports the challenges and growth of young people, so that the saying 'spending your youth in Seoul changes the next 10 years' will naturally resonate among young people."

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