"North Korean Defector Youth and 'Unification Village'... Unique Ideas Shine in Youth Village Selection"

Ten youth organizations in local areas have been selected as the final participants in the government’s Youth Village Project, which aims to prevent population decline in rural regions and secure economic self-sufficiency.

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The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on April 13 that 10 locations were chosen for this year’s Youth Village Project, with 141 teams from across the country competing for the spots.

Launched in 2018, the Youth Village Project has established a total of 51 villages through last year, empowering young people to drive regional change and revitalize communities. The project has become a key policy linking young people with local areas through job experiments utilizing regional resources and fostering exchanges among residents.

The 10 locations selected this time will also focus on regenerating underutilized spaces within their regions into residential, entrepreneurial, and community spaces, as well as strengthening economic self-sufficiency by expanding new content based on local resources.

The 10 selected regions are Jung-gu in Daejeon, Cheorwon-gun in Gangwon, Nonsan-si in South Chungcheong, Gimje-si and Gochang-gun in North Jeolla, Gurye-gun in South Jeolla, Yeongju-si and Bonghwa-gun in North Gyeongsang, Goseong-gun in South Gyeongsang, and Seogwipo-si in Jeju.

The selected youth organizations will receive an annual project fund of 200 million won for three years, totaling 600 million won. Even after the project ends, they will continue to receive practical support such as expert consulting, connections to corporate ESG programs, and market access assistance.

This year, distinctive business models leveraging the unique resources of each region stood out.

In Cheorwon, Gangwon, North Korean defector youth and local youth will collaborate to create a “Preview of Unification Village.” The project will focus on developing processed foods using local specialties and establishing regional trademark brands.

In Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang, the goal is to create a garden village that attracts people who want to learn about and enjoy gardening, combining high-quality gardening culture with agricultural resources. The aim is to establish a foundation for young people to work independently and settle in the area.

In Gimje, North Jeolla, the Youth Village will launch the Gimje Plain Village Broadcasting Station “NonNon” to nurture local content creators. Based on resident participation content such as a rice field camping video festival, they plan to simultaneously increase both the online connected population and the local resident base.

Jin Myeonggi, Director General for Local Autonomy Innovation at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, “We will actively support young people so that they can grow as agents of regional transformation and bring new vitality to local areas.”

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