Seocho District to Provide Up to 200,000 Won in Certification Exam Fees for Unemployed Youth

Applicable to 900 Types of Certifications
Quarterly Applications Introduced This Year

Seocho District in Seoul (District Mayor Jun Sungsoo) is implementing the "2026 Youth Certification Exam Fee Support Project" to enhance the employment capabilities of unemployed young people.

Poster for the Unemployed Youth Certification Exam Fee Support Program. Provided by Seocho District Office.

The support amount is up to 200,000 won per person. A total of about 900 types of exams are eligible, including 38 language proficiency tests, 540 national technical certifications, 248 national professional certifications, 96 nationally accredited private qualifications, and the Korean History Proficiency Test, provided the exam was completed this year. Applications can be submitted regardless of the test result and without any limit on the number of applications. However, from this year, the driver's license exam has been excluded from the support program, as it is considered to have a low correlation with employment.

The most significant change this year is the application process. Previously, applications were accepted on a rolling basis, which led to budget depletion early in the year due to a surge in applications at specific times, repeatedly causing applicants in the second half of the year to miss out. To address this, the district has switched to a quarterly application system (March, June, September, and November), ensuring balanced support opportunities throughout the year. If the budget for a quarter is exhausted, the application period may close early, but applicants can reapply in the next quarter.

The support is available to unemployed youth aged 19 to 39 who have been residing in Seocho District since before January 1 of this year. Applications for the first quarter can be submitted via the Seocho District Office website from March 3 to March 31. For further information, please contact the Child and Youth Division at 02-2155-8981.

Jun Sungsoo, Mayor of Seocho District, stated, "Through this certification exam fee support project, I hope we can provide a stable job-seeking environment that allows young people to focus on employment in response to the changing job market," adding, "We will continue to firmly support Seocho District's youth so that they can boldly pursue their dreams."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.