Geumcheon-gu Receives UNICEF Child-Friendly City Re-Certification

Promoting 35 Initiatives Including Cybercrime Prevention and Traffic Safety

Geumcheon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Yoo Seonghun), has received re-certification as a Child-Friendly City from the Korean Committee for UNICEF. On January 7, the district announced that it had been re-certified as a Child-Friendly City by UNICEF for a four-year period, from 2026 to 2029.

View of Geumcheon-gu General Government Building. Provided by Geumcheon-gu.

A Child-Friendly City refers to a city that provides an environment conducive to a better life for children. UNICEF grants re-certification to cities that have already been certified, based on evaluations of changes experienced by children and their guardians, as well as the city’s implementation performance.

Geumcheon-gu was recognized for its achievements in areas such as operating a policy coordination body for child-friendly initiatives, activating public-private cooperation organizations, providing child participation and rights education, and creating child-friendly spaces. In particular, since its initial certification as a Child-Friendly City in July 2019, the district has demonstrated sustainability by continuously meeting UNICEF’s international standards for a total of ten years, through December 2029.

The district has set forth the vision: “A Happy Today, a Dreaming Tomorrow! Child-Friendly City Geumcheon,” with the top priority of ensuring that children grow up safely and healthily. Over the next four years, 12 departments will implement 35 key projects focused on making the city more child-friendly. In particular, the district will actively promote initiatives to strengthen child safety, such as cybercrime prevention and traffic safety improvements, which were selected as top priorities by children in the standard survey conducted as part of this re-certification process.

Yoo Seonghun, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, stated, “Children are the agents who will lead future change,” emphasizing, “Building a child-friendly city is an investment in the future of our community.” He added, “With this re-certification, we will listen to the voices of our children and systematically support their healthy growth. We will continue to develop Geumcheon-gu into a city where both adults and children can be happy.”