Seodaemun-gu Wins Award for 8 Consecutive Years at National Manifesto Competition

'Youth Housing and Startup Support' Selected as an Excellent Pledge and Policy Case

Seodaemun-gu won the Excellence Award at the 2020 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practice Competition for its "Youth Housing and Self-Reliance Support Policy." The photo shows District Mayor Moon Seok-jin (fourth from the left in the back row) visiting the Sinchon Youth Startup Dream Center No. 2 in May this year, cheering together with the residents. Photo by Moon Seok-jin

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) won the Excellence Award in the ‘Income Gap Resolution’ category at the ‘2020 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practice Competition’ co-hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and the Gyeonggi Research Institute.

This competition has been held since 2007 to share local issues, solutions, and future alternatives through excellent pledge fulfillment cases nationwide.

Participating this year under the theme ‘Laying a Ladder of Hope for Youth,’ Seodaemun-gu received high praise for its youth housing and self-reliance support policies, achieving the honor of winning for eight consecutive times since 2011.

The competition was not held in 2014 and 2018 due to local elections.

Starting with the Hongje-dong Dream Attic in 2011, the district has supplied various housing options where youth can live stably, such as the Cheonyeon-dong Dream Attic, Iwailga, Cheongnyeonnuri, and Youth Future Community Housing, easing the burden of housing costs.

Additionally, to help young people successfully start businesses, the district established ▲Youth Startup Dream Centers 1 and 2, which are share-house type startup facilities ▲Sinchon Culture Development Center supporting the growth of young cultural artists ▲Campus Town fostering startups through cooperation among universities, youth, and local communities.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, stated, “This award was possible because of the trust and support of our residents,” and added, “We will not be satisfied with winning eight consecutive times; we will continue to communicate and share with our residents with the determination to keep our promises and implement policies together.”