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Busan Metropolitan City Selects Three Outstanding Youth Spaces to Boost the “Youth Space Switch ON Project”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency (President Song Bok-cheol) announced that, through the first-ever “Busan Outstanding Youth Space Contest,” three locations—Youth Creative Station “GoGoSing JOB” (Nam-gu), “Ibagu Platform” (Dong-gu), and the “Saha Youth Startup Support Center” (Saha-gu)—have been selected as outstanding youth spaces.

This selection was carried out as part of the “Youth Space Switch ON Project,” established earlier this year to strengthen the foundation for youth activities and activate youth spaces. The evaluation considered 29 indicators, including operational achievements, development of region-specific programs, and overall management competency.

The city plans to share the exemplary cases discovered through this contest and prepare diverse, tailored space utilization strategies that local youth can experience firsthand, further invigorating youth spaces.

Youth Creative Station “GoGoSing JOB” (Nam-gu) received high marks for developing local, specialized programs tailored to the district’s unique environment—a neighborhood densely populated with single-person households and five universities. These include lifestyle-focused programs for single-person households and differentiated cultural programs utilizing Nam-gu’s cultural assets. The space also continuously improves its facilities and program operations based on feedback from participating youth, and the strong collaboration between the public and private sectors to provide needed programs was also positively evaluated.

“Ibagu Platform” (Dong-gu) is a youth space created by utilizing vacant houses and the distinctive hillside terrain near Busan Station. Resident youth and the youth organization responsible for managing the facility jointly plan and operate programs, actively reflecting participants’ feedback to enhance program quality. The platform also received favorable evaluations for promoting a space where youth experiences are shared, including collaboration with local universities and the National Youth Village Network on ongoing regional problem-solving projects.

The “Saha Youth Startup Support Center” (Saha-gu) is an integrated facility combining a youth startup center with a One-person Creative Enterprise Support Center supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. It provides one-stop services including startup education, office space, and consulting. Its operation of the Saha Youth Maker Lab, programs connecting local youth with international students, and successful growth cases of resident startups were particularly well-received.

Meanwhile, as part of the “Youth Space Switch ON Project” to activate youth spaces, the city has been building a cooperative system called the “Space-Connection Council,” involving Gu, Gun and partner organizations. By holding regular meetings and policy training sessions each quarter, the city has strengthened collaboration among space operators across the city, Gu, Gun and related institutions. The city has also enhanced awareness and utilization of youth spaces by operating on-site promotional booths and identifying and sharing exemplary cases.

Moving forward, Busan Metropolitan City, together with 16 Gu, Gun and partner organizations, will continue to promote a variety of policies aimed at revitalizing youth spaces.

Kim Gui-ok, Director General of the Youth & Industrial-Academic Support Bureau, stated, “We will actively share and expand the exemplary cases discovered through this evaluation to strengthen the city’s capacity for promoting youth space activation and enhance organic cooperation with partner institutions.” She added, “We will do our utmost to ensure that youth spaces become everyday hubs that young people want to visit and use, continuously advancing policies that support the development of youth spaces.”

She further stated, “We will also steadily implement the ‘Youth Space Switch ON Project,’ a key policy foundation for making Busan a city where young people choose to stay.”