Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Recognized for Tangible Youth Policy Outcomes… Selected as an “Excellent Institution” for Four Consecutive Years in Prime Minister’s Office Evaluation

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Busan Metropolitan City (Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk) announced that it has been selected as an excellent institution for four consecutive years in the Comprehensive Youth Policy Evaluation conducted by the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination conducts annual evaluations of youth policy performance implemented by central government ministries and local governments to improve the quality of life for young people. The evaluation comprehensively considers improvements in youth life across seven areas—including jobs, housing, finance, welfare, and culture—as well as reflection of youth life and environment, and youth participation and communication.

In this year’s evaluation, the city received high marks for expanding and restructuring its programs based on the outcomes of flagship projects, with a focus on policies that young people can directly experience.

Last year, the city systematically implemented 95 detailed tasks under 25 key initiatives across five major sectors, based on three core strategies: Zero Mismatch (ZERO), Enhanced Policy Experience (UP), and Expanded Youth Participation (PLUS).

In particular, specialized policies by sector received strong evaluations, including the Busan Youth JOB Growth Project (jobs), Lifelong Together Youth Housing for All (housing), Youth World Class (education), Busan Youth Double Happiness Savings Account (finance), Youth Mind Care (welfare), Sasang Indie Station (culture), and Youth Mentor Group (participation and rights). Being selected as an excellent institution for four consecutive years since 2023 is a meaningful achievement that reaffirms Busan’s competitiveness and status in implementing sustainable youth policies based on a dedicated youth policy organization.

In particular, the city has pursued improvements in quality of life and strengthened future foundations by focusing on practical policies that young people can directly experience in their daily lives.

Through the Busan Youth JOB Growth Project, the city achieved tangible employment outcomes, including participation by 7,236 individuals, discovery of 1,110 companies, and employment of 1,171 people. With the opening of the third Youth JOB Growth Café in the western Busan area, the city was also selected as the best local government for two consecutive years in evaluations by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

In addition, the city strengthened youth housing stability policies by introducing the Lifelong Together Youth Housing for All program for the first time last year. This program supports the full amount of rent, excluding a monthly contribution of 30,000 KRW, for young people and newly married couples living in public rental housing, thereby reinforcing residential stability and settlement foundations.

In the education sector, the Youth World Class program provides up to 100 million KRW over three years for capacity development, laying the foundation for young people to grow into global talent.

The city is also promoting the Busan Youth Double Happiness Savings Account program, which matches youth savings on a one-to-one basis. Participants who save 100,000 KRW per month for up to three years can receive up to 7.2 million KRW plus interest upon maturity, supporting stable asset formation for young people.

In addition, Sasang Indie Station serves as the only youth subculture space in the industrially concentrated western Busan area. By supporting the operation of youth cultural spaces, it has played a pivotal role as a hub for expanding youth culture in the region and has achieved meaningful results.

In 2026, the city plans to implement youth policies totaling 462.2 billion KRW across 104 projects, an increase of 47.6 billion KRW compared to the previous year, with a focus on employment-linked work experience support.

A new JOB Matching Internship Program will be introduced, providing up to 4.5 million KRW in labor costs over three months on the condition of conversion to full-time employment. In addition, a large-scale Mega Job Fair will be held jointly by 18 organizations, including the city, labor offices, universities, districts, and the business community, to provide broader employment opportunities for young people.

Furthermore, the number of beneficiaries for housing deposit loan interest support will be expanded by 650 from the previous year, reaching a total of 2,030 individuals. The city also plans to significantly expand housing and cultural support by broadening cultural access options, including linking the Youth 10,000 KRW Plus Culture Pass with newly established performance venues.

Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk stated, “We will continue to place the voices of young people at the starting point of policy, actively discover policies tailored to their perspectives, and steadily pursue high-impact youth policies to create ‘a city where young people stay and realize their dreams—Busan.’”