Busan is good

Busan Youth Take the Global Stage… Three Finalists Selected for the 2026 Youth World Class Program

내용

Busan Metropolitan City announced that it has selected three final participants for the 2026 Youth World Class Development Program, which aims to enhance Busan’s international competitiveness, and plans to actively support them in developing into globally competitive innovative leaders.

The 2026 Youth World Class Development Program is one of Busan’s flagship initiatives for fostering young talent. It identifies promising young people in Busan with strong growth potential and provides systematic support to help them advance as global leaders, including up to KRW 100 million per person in capacity-building funding.

Busan Metropolitan City recruited participants from April 1 to May 6, attracting strong interest with a total of 133 applications. Seventeen applicants were selected through the first-round document screening, followed by a second-round presentation evaluation that narrowed the field to six candidates for the public evaluation.

The final public evaluation was held at KT&G Sangsang Madang Busan in Seomyeon, Busanjin-gu, with six expert judges and a 24-member citizen evaluation panel participating. By incorporating both expert and citizen evaluations, Busan Metropolitan City comprehensively assessed not only professional expertise and growth potential but also the degree to which candidates resonated with citizens, thereby strengthening the fairness and transparency of the selection process.

The three participants selected through the highly competitive process are Noh Hyun-ji in visual arts, Lee Dong-yoon in literature, and Heo Seok-min in theater, all within the culture and arts category.

Noh Hyun-ji is an illustrator who has documented Busan’s landscapes and the everyday lives of its people through her artwork. She has visually represented Busan through a wide range of projects, including a Busan gift card featuring Gwangalli Beach and souvenirs and posters for public institutions. Through this program, she plans to illustrate Busan’s beaches, port, and seasonal scenery and develop them into distinctive Busan visual arts content that residents and visitors can cherish for years to come.

Lee Dong-yoon is a writer and story intellectual property planner who transforms lesser-known local stories into business value. Beginning his career as a reporter for a regional daily newspaper, he went on to plan his media company’s first newsletter and participate in the production of feature-length documentaries about the Lotte Giants and the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising, expanding Busan’s stories into content for wider audiences. His creative abilities have also been recognized through honors including selection in a New Year Literary Contest and the grand prize in a marine literature competition. Through this program, he intends to develop Busan’s fragmented stories into globally competitive story intellectual property.

Heo Seok-min is a Busan-based theater director and playwright. He founded the theater company Warm Person and has continued to produce performances, exploring human psychology and social structures through works including The Cross, Noncombustible Waste Dump, and A Small Fan That Stirs the Wind. He has received honors including the Young Theater Artist Award at the Korea Theater Awards and the Best Production Award at the Busan Theater Festival. He has also demonstrated the potential for Busan’s performing arts to expand internationally through invitations to events including the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania and the Avignon Off Festival in France. Going forward, he plans to further strengthen his creative and production capabilities and expand overseas performance distribution and co-production networks, building a foundation for performing arts content originating in Busan to connect with the global stage.

Each of the three selected participants will receive up to KRW 100 million in capacity-building funding over three years. The funding will be provided in installments of KRW 20 million in the first year, KRW 50 million in the second year, and KRW 30 million in the third year.

Through this support, the participants will focus on developing the capabilities needed in their respective fields, including participation in professional education programs, training at leading overseas institutions, international exchanges and networking, content development, prototype production, and preparation for entry into overseas markets.

Beyond one-time financial support, Busan Metropolitan City plans to provide a support system tailored to each participant’s growth objectives and field-specific characteristics, enabling them to continue their activities while based in Busan and expand onto the global stage.

Busan Metropolitan City will also promote networking and the broader sharing of achievements so that the accomplishments of the selected participants contribute not only to their individual growth but also to the development of local industries, the culture and arts ecosystem, and the next generation of young talent.

Kim Gwi-ok, Director General of the Youth and Industry-Academia Cooperation Bureau, said, “The challenge undertaken by a single young person can become a force that expands the possibilities of an entire city. Busan Metropolitan City will create an environment in which young people can fully develop their capabilities in their chosen fields without having to leave the region and, building on the experience and achievements they gain in Busan, pursue opportunities across Korea and on the global stage.”