Eligibility Expanded to 170,000 with Relaxed Income Criteria
Broader Content for Career and Talent Exploration, Social Advancement
AI Integrated Across Learning... Nurturing AI Talent
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand the eligibility for its educational welfare policy, "Seoul Learn," to include households with up to 80% of the median income. In particular, by adding artificial intelligence (AI)-based educational content, the program will be operated as a comprehensive educational platform that goes beyond simple learning support to include career guidance.
On the morning of the 15th, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon announced the "Seoul Run 3.0 Promotion Plan" at Seoul City Hall, marking a comprehensive reorganization of Seoul Learn as it enters its fifth year.
The main points of this reorganization include: ▲ expansion of career and employment content, ▲ introduction of an AI system, ▲ strengthening of the learning foundation, and ▲ broadening of the support target group.
Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon is announcing the "Seoul Run 3.0 Promotion Plan," which focuses on the comprehensive reorganization of Seoul Run, at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News
Eligibility expanded to households with up to 80% of median income... Step-by-step mentoring system support
The biggest change is the expansion of eligible recipients. In order to allow more students to benefit from Seoul Learn, the city will increase the number of beneficiaries and expand services such as mentoring, providing a wider range of opportunities and experiences. To achieve this, the eligibility criteria will be adjusted from households with up to 60% of the median income to those with up to 80%. In addition, multi-child families, grandchildren of national merit recipients, and youths from local children's centers will also be included. The number of students able to benefit from Seoul Learn will increase from approximately 120,000 to 170,000.
Currently, through private sponsorship, a pilot program is being operated for 800 students from multi-child families (with three or more children) and 500 students from local children's centers, all from households with up to 100% of the median income. Once discussions on changes to the social security system are completed, this will be transitioned to the main program. Previously, a mentee could only receive mentoring in one subject from a mentor, but going forward, mentees will be able to study up to two subjects if desired, as well as receive emotional support mentoring, allowing them to learn with multiple mentors.
Beyond entrance exam-focused learning support, courses and programs aimed at career and aptitude exploration and strengthening employment capabilities will also be expanded and operated. The city plans to build a robust support system that continues from university admission to entering society. The "Career Campus" program will be run for 500 participants, ranging from elementary students to young adults. This program will offer hands-on experiences linked to real jobs and promising industries, such as robot engineering, biotechnology, beauty, and airline cabin crew. It will be operated by 15 institutions, including University of Seoul, Myongji College, youth-specialized facilities, and career experience support centers.
A new program has also been established to support career choices for youths preparing to enter society. A "Professional Career Mentoring Group," consisting of professionals such as lawyers, engineers, doctors, and developers, will provide monthly job mentoring sessions for university students.
AI system introduced for counseling, career exploration, and basic learning... Customized English learning content provided
An AI system will be integrated throughout the Seoul Learn platform. Based on participants' tendencies, aptitudes, and learning data, the system will provide customized counseling and career exploration, as well as support for learning itself. With the growing importance of entrance exam strategies due to the introduction of the high school credit system and the diversification of university admissions, an "AI Career and College Admission Coach" will be launched starting with the 2026 academic year. This coach will predict the likelihood of acceptance for both rolling and regular admissions and provide student record evaluation guides for each desired university.
In addition, generative AI services such as ChatGPT and Gemini will be added, allowing users to utilize automated learning assistance features like English vocabulary lists, practice test creation, AI Q&A, and image/video generation when studying with Seoul Learn. The generative AI service will be piloted from March next year for 2,000 Seoul Learn members who are high school students or older, and will be expanded to cover mentor-led learning guidance.
The learning foundation will also be significantly strengthened through the Seoul-type English learning model, support for university students' basic academic skills, and offline campuses. Special programs will be established to ensure seamless education, including English education for elementary students, pre-school courses to help new science and engineering university students adapt quickly, and parent education.
Starting next month, a pilot project will be launched to develop the "Seoul-type English Education Model." English learning content will be provided to about 100 first and second graders at local children's centers in Seoul. The program will combine self-directed learning and coaching, and evaluate learning outcomes before and after participation, with the goal of developing age- and level-specific English learning models. In addition, to help university students majoring in science and engineering build a solid foundation and adapt quickly to campus life, a "Freshman Pre-School Class" will be operated in cooperation with Korea University and other institutions.
Mayor Oh stated, "Seoul Learn, which was launched with the responsibility that everyone should start from a fair starting line, is establishing itself as Korea's leading educational ladder, going beyond Seoul. We will continue to expand Seoul Learn from a learning platform that simply helps improve grades to a platform of dreams and growth that enables students to design their lives and develop their abilities, continuously providing opportunities and hope."
Meanwhile, the educational ladder program Seoul Learn currently has six local governments participating as joint utilization partners: North Chungcheong Province, Pyeongchang County in Gangwon Province, Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province, Incheon Metropolitan City, Taebaek City in Gangwon Province, and Yecheon County.
Status of private and local government entities participating as joint utilization partners of Seoul Run. Seoul Metropolitan Government
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
