The 1st Seoul Metropolitan Council Youth Academic Paper Contest

Seoul Metropolitan Council, Gathering Diverse and Creative Opinions from Youth with the Opening of the 11th Session... Two-Month Academic Paper Contest on "Local Decentralization, Fiscal Decentralization, and Development Directions of Local Councils"... Chairman Kim Hyun-gi: "We Will Listen to Youths' Issues and Solutions"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Seoul Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim Hyun-gi) is holding the "1st Seoul Metropolitan Council Youth Academic Paper Contest" from August 10 to October 14 to collect and reflect diverse and creative opinions from youth with the opening of the 11th Council.

The "Seoul Metropolitan Council Youth Academic Paper Contest," held for the first time this year, is open to any youth interested in local councils (aged 19 to 39, based on Article 3, Clause 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Basic Ordinance).

Applicants wishing to participate can write their papers according to the criteria presented on the Seoul Metropolitan Council website and submit them online by October 14.

This 1st Seoul Metropolitan Council Youth Academic Paper Contest will serve as a public forum where youth identify problems from their perspective on topics such as local decentralization and fiscal decentralization, propose related solutions, and meaningful suggestions will be reflected in the 11th Council’s legislative activities, providing a direct channel for youth voices to be incorporated into legislation.

The contest is jointly hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the professional academic society "Korean Local Council Studies Association (President Professor Lee Hyun-chul)," which will form a selection committee to review papers and enhance the reliability of the selection criteria.

The Korean Local Council Studies Association will conduct a basic evaluation of the submitted papers regarding topic suitability and select candidates for the final review. The selection committee, composed of professors and experts, will conduct a blind written review of the final candidates and select five winning papers.

Prizes will be awarded as follows: Grand Prize (1 paper) 1,000,000 KRW, Excellence Prize (1 paper) 500,000 KRW, and Encouragement Prize (3 papers) 300,000 KRW each. The results will be announced at the end of October.

The selected papers will be presented at a separate "Winners Announcement Event," where youth will directly present their winning papers and engage in Q&A with attending citizens, Seoul Metropolitan Council members, and experts, creating a public forum to communicate and reflect on the "development direction of local councils."

Chairman Kim Hyun-gi stated, "The 11th Seoul Metropolitan Council includes 12 youth council members who represent the youth perspective in legislative activities. Through this contest, we will continuously create communication channels where youth can directly raise issues and propose solutions." He added, "We ask for much interest and participation in this youth academic contest."