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Busan Metropolitan City Announces Outstanding Districts in the 2025 District-Level Youth Policy Evaluation

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, as a result of the “2025 District-Level Youth Policy Evaluation,” Busanjin-gu, Nam-gu, and Suyeong-gu have been selected as outstanding districts.

This evaluation was conducted across all 16 districts and counties to promote the sharing of youth policies, disseminate exemplary outcomes, and establish a policy feedback system.

Based on a two-stage evaluation process consisting of an initial document review and a subsequent presentation review, assessments were made using 18 evaluation indicators across 12 items in five areas: the foundation for youth policy implementation; youth policy planning and execution; publicity and communication; youth participation; and exemplary policy cases. As a result, Busanjin-gu was selected as the Top Performer, Nam-gu as an Outstanding Performer, and Suyeong-gu as a Commended Performer.

Busanjin-gu, selected as the Top Performer, received high praise for establishing an exemplary model of a youth-friendly city by implementing region-specific initiatives centered on a public-private governance framework launched following its designation as a “Youth-Friendly City” by the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

In particular, the “Youth Commercial District Operations Team,” a commercial district branding support project in the Jeonpo and Seomyeon areas, attracted attention as a self-sustaining model for youth-led commercial districts. The project established integrated branding and collaborative systems centered on craft workshops, and demonstrated strong potential for expansion by planning future collaborations with nearby businesses in other sectors, such as coffee.

Nam-gu and Suyeong-gu also received favorable evaluations for tailoring their policies by sector, including youth spaces and publicity and participation.

Nam-gu demonstrated notable achievements in revitalizing youth spaces by assigning dedicated civil servants and operating programs such as space-based events. The district also actively utilized YouTube Shorts and on-site outreach campaigns to improve policy accessibility. In addition, the “YOU & NAMGU Local Cultural Exploration Group,” a youth cultural experience program leveraging Nam-gu’s cultural and tourism resources, was selected as an exemplary case for meeting the cultural needs of young people who face financial barriers to cultural participation. The program offered a wide range of activities, including visits to local attractions and festivals and meetings with artists.

Suyeong-gu showed strong performance in youth participation–focused policies, with active communication and exchange with young people through its Youth Policy Network. Initiatives such as a district administration participation mileage program encouraging voluntary youth engagement, as well as youth-proposed ideas winning awards at a national youth policy competition, were well received. In particular, the “Chacha Station” work experience program was evaluated as a notable case of diversifying youth employment initiatives. As the city’s first job support program targeting young people with borderline intellectual functioning, it provided closely managed support from job training through employment placement.

Busan Metropolitan City plans to further enhance the effectiveness of youth policies by expanding the exemplary cases identified through this evaluation across districts and counties and conducting comparative analyses.

Through the Youth Policy Accountability System, the city intends to link policies between Busan Metropolitan City and district and county governments, strengthen benchmarking and cooperation, and establish a policy feedback system that addresses shortcomings while disseminating best practices.

Kim Gwi-ok, Director General of the Youth Industry-Academia Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “Based on the results of this evaluation, we will enhance our capacity to implement youth policies and strengthen their substance,” adding, “We will continue to pursue policies that young people can truly be satisfied with through ongoing feedback and improvement.”