Yangcheon-gu held a closing ceremony Friday for its 2026 Second-Half Youth Administrative Intern Program at the Yangcheon Digital Media Center, bringing together young participants to share the results of roughly four weeks of hands-on public administration experience.
The Yangcheon-gu Youth Administrative Intern Program offers college students and unemployed young residents registered in the district a chance to gain practical experience in public administration and explore career paths. This year's second-half cohort comprised 50 participants, who worked across a range of administrative sites including the district office, neighborhood community centers, welfare centers and libraries.
At the ceremony, participants watched a video recap of their activities before presenting "youth discourse proposals" — policy ideas developed by visiting and analyzing local sites firsthand during their internships.
Six teams shared ideas that reinterpreted local resources through a youth lens: revitalizing a traditional market as a "local hip" destination, strengthening the French cultural character of Paris Park's festival, rediscovering the neighborhoods of Sinwol-dong, Mok-dong and Sinjeong-dong, and branding the area around Yongwangsan Skywalk. Following the presentations, Yangcheon-gu District Mayor Lee Gi-jae joined the interns for an open discussion.
The proposals were grounded in direct fieldwork — each team selected its topic at an earlier orientation session, then visited actual policy sites and local landmarks to observe and analyze them. Drawing on what they saw, the interns proposed a range of policy ideas aimed at enhancing the district's appeal and drawing greater youth attention and participation.
After the ceremony, a tailored lecture was held to help the interns build practical skills for their future careers. Professor Kim Jae-yeop spoke on the theme "Developing a Sense of Partnership with AI," sharing practical insights on using artificial intelligence not merely as a technical tool but as an everyday partner, and on finding new opportunities through integrative thinking.
"The fresh ideas you proposed after spending a month experiencing the administrative field firsthand and exploring every corner of the district through young eyes will be a valuable asset for Yangcheon's development," District Mayor Lee said. "I hope this experience serves as a solid foundation as you each chart your own career paths and prepare for the future."
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