Seoul City Provides 200,000 Won Cultural Arts Voucher to 19-Year-Old Youth

Starting from April

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 7th that starting from April, it will provide a voucher worth 200,000 KRW called the 'Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass' to 19-year-old youth (born in 2004) that can be used to attend cultural and artistic performances. Seoul City, Shinhan Bank, Shinhan Card, and Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture signed a public-private partnership agreement (MOU) at 2 p.m. on the same day ahead of the project implementation.

The 'Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass' is a major cultural policy project for 'walking together with the vulnerable' being implemented for the first time this year. It started from the interest in the 'youth' group, which has received relatively little attention in our society so far. The 'Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass' targets 19-year-old youth who are 'culturally vulnerable' among the youth, having had fewer opportunities to enjoy culture and arts due to entrance exams and competition. The project aims to help 19-year-olds who have just entered society to relax and enjoy leisure time and gain warm psychological comfort after intense competition.

Additionally, the 'Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass' helps youth grow into 'art lovers' who actively consume culture and arts, promoting consumption and creation in the cultural arts market. While previous support in the arts sector mainly focused on unilateral grants for creation, this project aims to strengthen the entire art-consuming class through overall market support, thereby expanding the base of the art ecosystem in the long term and establishing a virtuous cycle structure.

Seoul City has signed a four-party agreement with Shinhan Bank, Shinhan Card, and Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture to jointly carry out the project for convenient issuance and use of the 'Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass' voucher.

Moreover, Seoul City and each institution will regularly hold working-level cooperation meetings to help the Youth Culture Pass settle stably in youth society. They plan to continuously discover linked projects to activate the Youth Culture Pass and expand promotional activities through mutual cooperation.

The Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass will recruit participants in April this year, and detailed information can be found on the Seoul City website and the Youth Mongttang Information Center.

Kim Euisung, First Deputy Mayor of Seoul, said, "'The Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass' project will be an opportunity to walk together with 19-year-old youth who were 'culturally vulnerable' through culture and arts," adding, "Starting with this four-party institutional agreement, I hope the Seoul-type Youth Culture Pass will serve as a catalyst to help youth grow into active consumers in our society's cultural and artistic market in the future."