First Round of Document Screening Completed This Year, Competition Rate 40 to 1
A Total of 120 Applicants, a 71% Increase Compared to Last Year
The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on the 2nd that it has selected 15 candidates for the second round of presentation screening through the first round of document screening for the 2025 Youth World Class Development Project.
The Youth World Class Development Project is a program aimed at discovering young talents with global capabilities and providing up to 100 million won in customized competency development support over three years. The city has been implementing this initiative since 2021.
The selected candidates will receive 20 million won in the first year, 50 million won in the second year, and 30 million won in the third year. They will have opportunities for professional education, mentoring, and overseas training.
Notable talents who have grown through this project include designer Yoon Seokwoon (selected in 2021), who won the Presidential Award at the 2023 Korea Fashion Awards; writer Oh Seongeun (2023), who is currently serializing works on the e-book platform Millie's Library; and chef Jeon Jiseong (2023), who was listed in the Michelin Guide Selected.
The first round of document screening was conducted on May 29 by six external experts who served as judges. The evaluation was based on criteria such as motivation, growth potential, and possible contributions to the local community. This year, a total of 120 people applied across three fields: Innovation Leader, Culture and Arts, and Future New Industries. Five candidates were selected from each field, making a total of 15 candidates for the presentation screening. This is five times the number of final selections (three individuals).
The newly established Future New Industries field this year is a track for young people challenging advanced technology-based industries such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and secondary batteries. The number of applicants increased by 50 compared to last year, reaching 120. The distribution by field was 45 for Innovation Leader (38%), 47 for Culture and Arts (39%), and 28 for Future New Industries (23%).
The city plans to select six candidates through the second round of presentation screening this month, and then select the final three through a public screening in July and August. For the final screening, a panel of Busan citizens will also participate to ensure evaluation from diverse perspectives.
Kim Guiok, Director of the City’s Youth-Industry Cooperation Bureau, said, "This year's strong interest from young people has proven the value of this project," and added, "We will select global talents to represent Busan through a fair and transparent process and actively support young people's advancement onto the world stage."
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