North Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly wraps up first-half Youth Parliament program for 2026

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly concluded its first-half Youth Parliament Classroom program for 2026 on May 29, hosting the 136th session in the main chamber with 39 students from Pohang Yeongil High School.

First- and second-year students from Pohang Yeongil High School took part in the full range of legislative activities that day, beginning with an opening ceremony and moving through three-minute free speeches, bill proposals, debates and votes.

In their free speeches, students addressed topics including guaranteed sleep rights for youth, stronger critical thinking and media literacy education, the avoidance of genuine learning under the guise of accident prevention, and the expansion of extracurricular club time and activities — each presenting proposed solutions.

Students also introduced bills of their own, including proposals to allow students to dress freely and to mandate separate changing facilities for male and female students, gaining firsthand experience in democratic decision-making through debate and a vote.

During the first half of this year, the assembly ran the Youth Parliament Classroom from April 14 through May 29, reaching approximately 260 students across 10 schools in the province.

Since its launch in 2014, the Youth Parliament Classroom has grown into a flagship civic education program, with more than 5,528 students from 136 schools taking part in total. The assembly placed the program on a stable institutional footing in October 2023 by enacting an ordinance governing its operation.

Assembly Speaker Park Seong-man said the Youth Parliament Classroom serves as "a valuable educational forum for students," adding that the assembly would "continue to expand experience-based parliamentary education programs so that young people can grow into healthy, engaged democratic citizens."