Oh Se-hoon pledges to make Seoul a city of 'ladders of opportunity' for youth

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the 2026 Seoul Youth Policy Fair at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jung-gu on Friday afternoon, engaging with young residents and sharing the city's direction on youth policy.

Now in its third year, the Seoul Youth Policy Fair is organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Center. This year's edition ran Friday and Saturday. The fair featured a range of programs covering areas of youth interest, including employment, entrepreneurship, finance and housing. The city has declared this year the "Year of Youth Growth" and, through its Third Basic Plan for Youth Policy, shifted its policy approach from after-the-fact support to proactive investment and from welfare-centered to growth-centered programs.

The fairground was divided into four zones — Youth, Growth, Special and Conference. Attendees could explore city support projects suited to their circumstances and receive consultations covering employment, asset-building, housing and relationship recovery.

Thirty-seven young people who had taken their first steps into society through Seoul city youth programs — including the Youth Employment Academy and Seoul Young Tech — participated as mentors, sharing their experiences and advice with visitors.

Oh joined young attendees for a "Seoul Youth Balance Game" at a special event that began at 2 p.m. Friday, then took part in "Seoul Youth Real Talk," a candid session where participants shared real-life concerns and policy experiences around money, housing, loneliness and jobs.

"The Seoul I envision is a city with 'ladders of opportunity' where any young person can compete on equal footing from the same starting line and pursue their dreams," Oh said. "Seoul will become a top-three global city where the growth of its youth translates directly into the city's future competitiveness."