Kim Donggeun Announces 'Youth Settlement City' Project... "Job Innovation Through Attracting High-Tech Companies"

Kim Donggeun, Uijeongbu Mayoral Candidate, to Expand Youth Support Policies
Attracting High-Tech Companies to Returned Land... Drastically Increasing Youth Jobs
Building a "Youth-Friendly" City Encompassing Housing, Culture, and Policy Participation
"Uijeongbu Will Become a Land of Opportunity Where Young People Can Stay and Succeed"

Kim Donggeun, the People Power Party candidate for mayor of Uijeongbu, has announced the "Youth Settlement City Uijeongbu Project" aimed at addressing the outflow of young people and transforming Uijeongbu into a city where young people can work and settle down.

Youth Support Policy Expansion Pledge. Photo by Donggeun Kim

Currently, despite Uijeongbu serving as a major residential area in the Seoul metropolitan area, the chronic problem of young people continuously leaving the city due to a lack of quality jobs persists. This ongoing issue has been consistently pointed out as a threat to the vitality of the local economy and the sustainability of the city.

In response, Candidate Kim emphasized, "Youth policy is not simply welfare support, but a key investment that determines the future of the city," and expressed his ambition to "completely transform Uijeongbu from a city that young people leave into a 'settlement city overflowing with jobs and opportunities.'"

The most notable aspect of Kim’s pledge is the utilization of land to be returned by the U.S. military. He has pledged to attract high-tech companies to this land and, in connection with this, to implement a "Uijeongbu Youth Priority Hiring" policy and a "hiring quota system."

Additionally, he plans to establish an AI innovation cluster to provide startup spaces for young people and to go beyond simply offering space by building a "youth startup ecosystem" that also offers mentoring and connects them to investment. Furthermore, he intends to expand job-oriented education and corporate-linked internship programs to strengthen a system in which the competencies of each young person directly lead to actual employment.

Kim’s plans go beyond just employment; he will also strengthen the foundation for settlement to enhance the quality of life for young people. Through projects such as the Uijeongbu Station Area Development Project (UBC), he has promised to significantly increase the supply of public housing for young people and to introduce a variety of housing models to dramatically reduce the housing cost burden. He also explained that, through policies linking housing and jobs, he aims to transform Uijeongbu from a "city that young people leave after finding work" into a "city where people live and work."

In addition, he plans to actively utilize existing public infrastructure, such as music libraries, art libraries, and youth centers, to provide creative spaces, support cultural activities, and operate community programs. He emphasized his intention to create an environment in which young people can stay and thrive within the local community.

Kim Donggeun, Mayor of Uijeongbu, attending the 2025 World Youth Innovation Forum. Photo provided by candidate Kim Donggeun

Kim also proposed the establishment of an "action-oriented participation network" that would allow young people to voice their opinions from the policy planning stage. Through a youth policy platform, young people will be able to directly propose policies and monitor the implementation process, thereby enhancing administrative effectiveness and fostering a sense of pride among the youth.

Candidate Kim Donggeun stated that the expansion of youth support policies in the 9th popularly elected administration is expected to reduce youth outflow, increase settlement rates, revitalize local employment and entrepreneurship, strengthen the city's competitiveness in attracting companies, and restore economic vitality.

Kim Donggeun emphasized, "A city that young people leave has no future," and stressed, "I will definitely transform Uijeongbu into a city where young people can stay, challenge themselves, and succeed."

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