Busan Youth Ten-Thousand-Won Culture Pass Recognized for Improving Perceived Effectiveness of Policies
Park Hyungjoon: "We Will Develop Practical, Needs-Based Policies"
Busan City has been selected as an outstanding institution for three consecutive years in the "2024 Comprehensive Youth Policy Evaluation" organized by the Office for Government Policy Coordination. This year’s evaluation focused on improving the perceived effectiveness of youth policies and the practical operation of related programs.
The Comprehensive Youth Policy Evaluation is a system in which the Office for Government Policy Coordination assesses the performance of youth policy implementation by 46 central government agencies and 17 metropolitan and provincial governments nationwide, selecting outstanding institutions each year. This year, Busan City was named an outstanding institution alongside Seoul, Gwangju, Chungnam, and Jeju.
In this evaluation, Busan received high marks for implementing a variety of youth-tailored policies across seven areas: employment, housing, education, finance, welfare, culture, and participation rights. On-site, hands-on initiatives that increased the perceived benefits among policy recipients were recognized as exemplary cases.
The "Busan Youth Ten-Thousand-Won Culture Pass" is a program that allows any young person to enjoy cultural performances worth 110,000 won for just 10,000 won. Last year, applications closed within seven minutes, and this year, despite an increase in the number of recipients, the program filled up in eight minutes. It is the only program in the country implemented without income restrictions, earning high praise among young people.
The "Youth Job Growth Project" is a job support program that provides a one-stop system from discovery to employment and post-employment management through customized support at each stage of the job search process. This program was selected as the best local government project nationwide in the Ministry of Employment and Labor's "2024 Youth Growth Project."
The "Youth Activity Mileage" system, launched last year for the first time by a metropolitan government, awards mileage points to young people who participate in city administration, which can then be converted into local currency (Dongbaekjeon) points. This initiative was recognized as an exemplary case for encouraging voluntary youth participation in policymaking.
In addition, the "Rental Deposit Loan Interest Support Program" was noted for its differentiated housing policy, easing income requirements and offering the lowest interest rates in the country compared to other regions.
Based on the results of this evaluation, the city plans to further strengthen youth policies centered on initiatives that are highly effective and well-received. In addition to expanding existing programs, Busan will actively launch new projects such as "Cheongkkeulgiup," which supports matching youth with preferred companies, and the "Employment Success Full Package Project," which provides support from job search to job retention.
Park Hyungjoon, Mayor of Busan, emphasized, "This evaluation is the result of reflecting the voices of young people in our policies," and added, "We will continue to implement effective policies to help young people realize their dreams and settle in Busan."
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