Seongdong-gu in Seoul, led by District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa, won the top prize in the disclosure category at the 2026 National Local Government Job Creation Awards ceremony held Wednesday at the Korea Press Center.
The win marks the district's second consecutive top prize in the category and extends its record to 12 straight years of recognition at the awards — the only autonomous district in Seoul to achieve such a streak — reaffirming the staying power and competitiveness of its employment policies.
Organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the National Local Government Job Creation Awards is the country's largest evaluation in the employment sector, assessing all 243 metropolitan and basic local governments nationwide on their job creation outcomes to select outstanding performers.
Under the vision of a "growth-and-solidarity resilience job ecosystem," Seongdong-gu has focused its full policy capacity on building a sustainable employment environment capable of weathering local hiring crises, centering its efforts on four core areas: local industry, youth employment, social venture and vulnerable workers.
Particularly notable was the district's operation of the Seongdong Youth Startup Center — the largest of its kind among autonomous districts — along with a university-community campus town development project, providing broad support for young residents entering the workforce or launching businesses.
The district also drew high marks for consistently nurturing the social venture ecosystem that has grown around Seongsu-dong, reinforcing a virtuous cycle that channels that growth into socially innovative job creation.
Seongdong-gu has also prioritized creating an environment where young people can work, settle and grow. Sustained investment in life-cycle-tailored youth policies earned the district designation as a "Youth-Friendly City" last year, laying the groundwork for broader youth employment and startup support. As a result, the youth (ages 15–29) employment rate, as measured by the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), rose 4.9 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year, and an influx of residents in their 20s and 30s has strengthened the district's appeal as a destination for young people.
The district has also worked to close employment gaps for vulnerable groups and broaden stable job opportunities. Seongdong-gu became the first in the country to support improved working conditions for essential workers and to assist career-interrupted women in re-entering the workforce or starting businesses. Through Seongdong Future Jobs Co., it continues to provide stable, long-term employment to those with the greatest barriers to work, sustaining an inclusive job policy where people from all walks of life can participate.
"This 12th consecutive award is the fruit of our consistent effort to develop employment policies unique to Seongdong in step with the district's growth and transformation," District Mayor Yoo said. "Going forward, we will build an even stronger job ecosystem — one where the district, businesses, young people and vulnerable workers grow together — so that Seongdong's competitiveness translates into solid jobs and stable lives for our residents."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
