With the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day approaching, Seodaemun-gu — a university district home to nine colleges including Yonsei University and Ewha Womans University — has built a local cooperation framework to welcome young visitors from around the world.
Seodaemun-gu announced Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the organizing committee of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day (WYD) at the district mayor's office to support the successful hosting of the event.
District Mayor Park Un-gi attended the signing ceremony alongside Father Kim Hyeon, head of the Second District of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul, who represented organizing committee chairman Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick.
The MOU was drawn up to establish close cooperation among local government, religious organizations and the community in support of a successful World Youth Day.
Under the agreement, Seodaemun-gu will deploy its administrative resources and public infrastructure to ensure smooth operations, while the Second District of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul will leverage its parish network to support participants, manage on-site operations and run community engagement programs. The two parties plan to develop detailed action plans through working-level consultations and to continue cooperating across areas including safety management, volunteering and cultural exchange.
Seodaemun-gu is one of Seoul's leading university districts, with about 94,000 students enrolled at nine institutions including Yonsei University and Ewha Womans University. The district's large pool of young talent positions it as a key activity hub for the World Youth Day.
The district plans to expand partnerships with universities and community organizations so that college students and young residents can take part in volunteering, foreign-language interpretation, cultural programming and local guided tours. The aim is to create a platform for international exchange where young people from around the world and local youth can mingle — and to showcase the strengths of Seodaemun as a university city to a global audience.
The 2027 Seoul World Youth Day is the Catholic Church's largest international gathering, founded by Pope John Paul II in 1985, and draws hundreds of thousands of young people from across the globe. Seoul's hosting of the event will be only the second time it has been held in Asia.
"The 2027 Seoul World Youth Day is a meaningful opportunity for young people from around the world and from our own community to understand each other's cultures and grow together," Park said. "We will join hands with the community to make Seodaemun — the most vibrant university district for young people — a city that stays in the hearts of youth from around the world."
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