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From AI Applications to Hands-on News Writing: Busan Metropolitan City Offers Special Summer Vacation Program for Children’s Reporters

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, held a “Special News Writing Lecture and Cover Illustration Contest Awards Ceremony for Children’s Reporters” yesterday, August 11, at the Grand Conference Room of Busan City Hall to strengthen the children’s reporting skills during the summer vacation and recognize the winners of the Children’s Newspaper cover illustration contest.

The event was organized to help the Children’s Reporters grow beyond simply conveying information and become active members of society who share a wide range of news about Busan. Around 300 children’s reporters and parents attended.

Before the special lecture, an awards ceremony was held for the first-half Children’s Newspaper cover illustration contest. Certificates were presented to children whose works were selected as outstanding entries in the spring issue contest, themed “A City Full of Joy, Fun Busan,” and the summer issue contest, themed “Busan’s Proud Cultural Heritage.”

Spring issue winners (3): Grand Prize, Sim Ji-min of Myeongnyun Elementary School; Excellence Awards, Kwon Da-yun of Donghyeon Elementary School and Jang Seo-in of Nammun Elementary School

Summer issue winners (3): Grand Prize, Jeon Dan-a of Jeongwon Elementary School; Excellence Awards, Kim Ji-won of Geumbit Elementary School and Kim Yun-seo of Cheongdong Elementary School

The news writing lecture featured Kim Baek-sang, a journalist with the Busan Ilbo, who shared practical techniques for writing news articles based on his field experience, covering everything from planning a story to structuring an article.

The 314 Busan Metropolitan City Children’s Reporters, who began their activities with a launch ceremony in March, have been reporting stories from across Busan through a wide range of activities, including monthly themed reporting assignments, cultural and arts experiences, and reporting missions at major municipal sites.

To date, they have written approximately 1,020 articles, vividly covering not only major events such as the 2026 National Junior and Students with Disabilities Sports Festivals, the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the Busan Port Festival, and the Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival, but also a wide range of stories from their schools and neighborhoods, all from children’s perspectives.

The autumn issue of the Children’s Newspaper, featuring the reporting activities of the Children’s Reporters, is scheduled for publication in September.

The Children’s Newspaper will be distributed to students in all grades at elementary schools across the region and will also be available at children’s cultural complexes, local libraries, Kyobo Book Centre, and other locations.

Meanwhile, Busan Metropolitan City continues to offer customized programs during the summer vacation to strengthen the practical reporting skills of the Children’s Reporters.

At the special lecture titled “Developing Problem-Solving Skills Using AI,” held at Pukyong National University from July 28 to 30, participants strengthened their digital inquiry skills by identifying problems in everyday life and exploring solutions using artificial intelligence (AI).

Busan Metropolitan City Spokesperson Oh Mi-kyung said, “I hope these special summer vacation lectures will provide an opportunity for our children’s reporters to further develop their reporting skills. We will continue to actively support the diverse activities of the Children’s Reporters and do our utmost to provide informative and engaging content for readers of the Children’s Newspaper.”