Seongnam Shares "Solomon's Choice" Policy Know-how with High Point, USA
Mayor Shin Sangjin Holds Video Conference with Mayor Jefferson...
Sharing Policies to Address Low Birth Rates and Youth Isolation
The youth matching program "Solomon's Choice" from Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, has attracted attention from cities in the United States, crossing national borders.
Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin held a video conference on the 14th (Korean time) with High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson in North Carolina, USA, sharing the 'Solomon's Choice' policy to address low birth rates and alleviate youth isolation. Provided by Seongnam City
On the 14th (Korean time), Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin held a video conference with High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson in North Carolina, USA, sharing the "Solomon's Choice" policy aimed at addressing low birth rates and alleviating youth isolation.
High Point is a mid-sized city with a population of about 115,000. Known as the "international city of North Carolina," it is also recognized as a global hub for the furniture industry.
This meeting was organized after Mayor Jefferson, who was impressed by Mayor Shin's policy presentation at the Bloomberg CityLab conference held in Mexico City in 2024, requested to share policy materials. The conference lasted about 40 minutes and was attended by both cities' mayors and around 10 officials.
Mayor Jefferson said, "I was deeply impressed that Mayor Shin's concern as a father for his daughter developed into a city-level policy that addresses urban issues. High Point is also urgently facing declining birth rates and the need to restore relationships among citizens, so Seongnam's case will serve as a very valuable reference."
In response, Mayor Shin stated, "Although there were initial concerns, as we continued with the program, the competition rate for matches has increased from 6:1 to 8:1, and the matching success rate has reached 47 percent. Some of these matches have even led to actual marriages and childbirths. The key to the policy's success is continuous communication with citizens and a consistent commitment to implementation."
Mayor Jefferson described "Solomon's Choice" as "a very special program that alleviates youth loneliness and social isolation while strengthening civic solidarity," and announced plans to actively share the program with High Point's policy team. He also requested advice on Seongnam City's strategies for encouraging citizen participation and communication methods.
Mayor Shin said, "A matching policy that even embraces youth loneliness is a new breakthrough in solving low birth rates. Several local governments in Korea, including Seoul, are currently benchmarking this program, and Seongnam City will continue to widely promote its successful case both domestically and internationally."
This policy exchange marks the first case of Seongnam City spreading a municipal-level youth policy internationally, and it is expected to become a new model for intercity cooperation and benchmarking in the future.
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