District recognized for expanding child participation, protection and right to play — certification valid through 2030
Seoul's Yongsan-gu has received the Advanced Child-Friendly City certification from the Korean Committee for UNICEF.
The certification recognizes the district's comprehensive achievements in policy effectiveness and sustainability, including expanded child participation, stronger child protection measures and the creation of child-friendly environments. The certification runs from June 25 through June 24, 2030 — a four-year term.
Since first earning the UNICEF Child-Friendly City designation in December 2021, Yongsan-gu has consistently worked to broaden children's rights education and raise awareness of children's rights across the community. The district has steadily pursued policies that incorporate children's views into local governance — establishing and operating child participation bodies, strengthening child impact assessments and bolstering an internal policy task force to ensure children's voices are reflected in actual policy. It also held public forums where children and youth presented their own policy proposals and reviewed their feasibility together.
The district has also invested in creating safe and healthy environments for children. It improved school zones and commuting routes, offered mobile safety education programs and implemented community-tailored crime-prevention design projects to build safer living conditions. In addition, it ran meal support programs, mental health promotion initiatives and the Dream Start project for vulnerable children to lay the groundwork for healthy development.
Policies to guarantee children's right to play were also expanded. The district operates three Seoul-type kids' cafes — in Hangang-ro-dong, Huam-dong and Cheongpa-dong — and has developed a sports field on the returned Yongsan Park site, offering lifestyle sports classes in soccer, baseball and tennis. It also runs Hannam Play, a free autonomous cultural space for youth, to broaden opportunities for leisure and cultural activities.
In preparing for the advanced certification, the district also established a Child-Friendly City Development Master Plan for 2026–2029, incorporating residents' input. After analyzing 635 opinions gathered from children and their guardians, it finalized 34 priority projects and set four core goals: a play city where play is joyful, a safe city where safety comes first, a healthy development opportunity city, and a communication city built on participation and respect. The vision is "Yongsan — a child-friendly city where children are respected and grow up happy."
Building on this certification, the district plans to use a newly developed online platform to expand the collection of opinions from children of all ages, including infants and toddlers, and to further advance demand-driven child-friendly policies.
"This advanced certification is the fruit of our consistent efforts to respect children not merely as subjects of policy but as active participants, and to uphold their rights," Yongsan-gu Mayor Park Hee-young said. "I hope the values of a child-friendly city — where children are respected and grow up happy — will continue to endure."
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