Promoting 50 Educational Projects to Foster Global Talent
New Children's English Library and Public Library Set to Open
Yongsan District in Seoul (District Mayor Park Heeyoung) will invest a total of 13.6 billion won this year in 50 educational projects to foster future talent and promote lifelong learning.
The district has established the "2026 Comprehensive Education Development Plan" and aims to build a global education city centered on four main goals: strengthening future competencies, creating a reading culture environment, spreading lifelong learning culture, and establishing an advanced educational environment.
The district plans to begin a related research project this September, targeting the designation as the "4th Special Zone for Educational Internationalization" by 2028. Leveraging the regional advantage of having 49 embassies concentrated in the area, Yongsan is preparing to become an international education hub by establishing foreign schools and strengthening foreign language education.
The newly opened "Yongsan Global Lounge" will serve as a global education space where people can experience languages and cultures from around the world. The "Yongsan Global Education Support Center," which opened in October last year, will help students strengthen their global future competencies through AI-based learning and Model UN experiences. Through the "Y-Leader Scholarship Program," worth approximately 260 million won, the district plans to select and support 400 outstanding students.
This coming September, the district will open the "(tentative name) Dongbinggo Children's English Library" at 358 Ichon-ro to reduce cultural infrastructure gaps between regions and provide children with a high-quality English reading and learning environment. In September 2027, a 2,916-square-meter public library will be established under the Beodeulgae Cultural Park near Yongsan Station (98-4 Hangangno 3-ga). This facility will be a complex cultural hub, including a reading room, digital library, and smart tourism information space.
The district will introduce an "AI-based personalized book recommendation system" at Yongsan Dream Tree Library and Cheongpa Public Library, providing big data-based book curation services.
In March this year, the "50 Plus Center" and "Lifelong Learning Center," which support life redesign for the middle-aged population in their 40s and 50s, will reopen after remodeling and be integrated. These will operate as a one-stop lifelong learning hub, offering education, counseling, and job linkage services to meet the learning needs of residents at every stage of life.
The district will designate and operate "Neighborhood Learning Centers," establishing a local learning network that allows anyone to attend lifelong education courses near their home. Through the resident promotion group "Lifelong On," the district also plans to spread a culture of lifelong learning.
The district will carry out a "demand-centered school space improvement project" for 33 schools to create future-oriented learning environments and will invest a total of 2.99 billion won in 47 schools and kindergartens to support eco-friendly school meals.
Through the "Visiting Yongsan Education" program, the district will operate customized programs for each school, such as creating forests in classrooms, exciting AI classes, character-building education, and a financial literacy academy. The district will also establish a new "Local Safety Net Project" to support students' psychological and emotional counseling, thereby creating a comprehensive educational welfare network.
Park Heeyoung, Mayor of Yongsan District, stated, "Education is the core driving force that determines the competitiveness and future of a city," adding, "By fostering organic cooperation among schools, communities, and the district office, we will create a 'global premium education city Yongsan' where all residents, from children to seniors, can enjoy the joy of learning and nurture their dreams."
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