Seongdong-gu Launches Five-Year, 54.1 Billion Won 'Youth-Friendly City' Roadmap

Seongdong-gu in Seoul is set to fully implement its five-year master plan to become a youth-friendly city. The district announced on March 15 that starting next year and continuing through 2030, it will invest a total of 54.1 billion won to promote 62 projects across five key sectors: employment and entrepreneurship, housing, daily life, and participation.

Young people using the Seongdong-gu Youth Support Center. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

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In December last year, Seongdong-gu was selected as a youth-friendly city, an honor given to only three out of 228 basic local governments nationwide. The district plans to combine phased implementation management and performance monitoring, utilizing expert consulting from the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

In the field of employment and entrepreneurship, the district will operate “Seongdong Youth Startup Irum Center,” the largest startup support space among autonomous districts, and “Success Space,” a shared office with around 150 seats. The Youth Challenge Support Project, designed for young people who have given up on job searching, will be expanded to support 130 participants this year, up 8.3% from last year. Additionally, unemployed youth will receive support for language and certification exam fees, up to 100,000 won per person.

Housing support will also be strengthened. The newly launched “Seongdong-type Youth Monthly Rent Support Project” will provide up to 200,000 won per month for a year to single-person youth households without homes, targeting those with a deposit of 80 million won or less and monthly rent of 700,000 won or less. Other initiatives include “Yongdap Challenge Residence,” which offers both housing and startup incubation space to aspiring entrepreneurs, a program supporting half-price brokerage fees for young adults starting their careers, and assistance with moving vehicles for small-scale relocations by youth.

In the area of daily life support, the district will expand eligibility for the “Coming of Age Start-up Grant,” which helps 19-year-olds transition into adulthood, and for essential goods purchase support for single-person youth households who move into Seongdong-gu. Through “Youth Table,” a hands-on cooking program that takes place in youth housing, the district aims to encourage healthy eating habits and foster social networks among young people.

Efforts will also focus on supporting isolated youth. Centered around the Seongdong-gu Youth Support Center, the district will offer life-planning programs tailored to different age groups-early, middle, and late-stage youth-and provide psychological counseling and art therapy through the “Visiting Mentoring Project.” For young people caring for family members, Seongdong-gu will offer daily care services covering living expenses, medical care, and housing. For those preparing for independence, the district will provide the “Seongdong-type Independence Support Package,” which includes settlement grants and independence allowances.

A district official stated, “We will continue to identify and deliver the essential policies that young people can truly feel in their daily lives, ensuring comprehensive and practical support.”

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