The district will use Seongsu-dong's startup and social venture ecosystem to give young job seekers hands-on work experience through internship and project tracks over three months, with mentoring, consulting and stipend support included.
Seongdong-gu in Seoul is launching the "Seongdong Work-Up Project," the district's first locally tailored employment program since being designated a youth-friendly city, aimed at helping young people explore career paths and enter the labor market.
Designated a "youth-friendly city" in December last year, Seongdong-gu has been rolling out youth policies tailored to the district's character under a five-year plan covering 2026 to 2030. The district is particularly focused on leveraging the dense ecosystem of social ventures, startups and diverse industries centered on Seongsu-dong to provide young people with practical work experience and connect them with local employers.
The Work-Up Project is a field-oriented program designed to build job skills by linking companies' actual work needs with young participants' desire for hands-on experience. Companies propose job duties or project tasks tied to their real operations, and participants spend roughly three months completing them — gaining practical experience while exploring their aptitudes and career direction.
The program runs in two tracks based on a company's work style and operational conditions. The internship track places participants inside a company's workflow, where they carry out actual duties and experience the organization's processes and culture firsthand. The project track has participants tackle a specific challenge set by the company and deliver a concrete result, building problem-solving skills and practical competencies required for a particular role.
Participants receive either a wage or a participation stipend alongside their work experience, as well as tailored consulting and one-on-one mentoring to help develop individual job skills. Participating companies receive a mentor allowance of up to 500,000 won ($362), and the program is designed to help them assess a young candidate's fit and potential while collaborating on real work tasks.
The program is open to young people who wish to take part in job tasks and work-experience opportunities proposed by companies based in Seoul or Seongdong-gu. The district will work with the Seoul Youth Center Seongdong branch to select candidates suited to each company's proposed duties and projects, and will provide ongoing support to ensure a stable experience for both participants and companies.
The district will also partner with the Seongdong Youth Startup Center to run a range of entrepreneurship support programs — including startup and creator workshops, startup coffee chats and insight forums — to strengthen young people's entrepreneurial skills and activities.
Young people wishing to apply can check the recruitment notice on the district office website and apply online through Monday. For further details, contact the Seoul Youth Center Seongdong branch.
Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yu Bo-hwa said the project is "the first locally tailored employment program of the youth-friendly city initiative, designed to help young people gain work experience and grow alongside local companies." She added that the district would "connect youth and businesses — giving young people meaningful work experience and opportunities for growth, while giving companies the chance to meet talented young candidates."
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