Seongbuk-gu takes grand prize for 2nd year

Seongbuk-gu announced that it won the grand prize in the outstanding basic local government category at the Youth-Friendly Awards for a second consecutive year. The announcement came at a commissioning and awards ceremony held as part of the 10th Korea Youth Day in 2026.

Now in its ninth year, the Youth-Friendly Awards ceremony is hosted by the nonprofit association Youth and Future, which operates under the National Assembly Secretariat. It is South Korea's most prestigious policy award. It recognizes metropolitan and basic local governments that have achieved outstanding results in policies and communication aimed at improving young people's quality of life and rights.

In this year's evaluation, Seongbuk-gu earned wide recognition for its multifaceted policy achievements covering nearly every aspect of young people's lives. These range from jobs and startups to housing, welfare, culture, resident participation and youth-dedicated spaces.

The district was the first among Seoul's autonomous districts to establish a dedicated youth policy team, the Youth Support Team, in 2015. It followed up in 2016 by enacting the Seongbuk-gu Basic Ordinance on Youth Support, laying an institutional foundation for youth policy early on.

The district has helped young people enter the workforce through a range of programs, including a youth job fair, subsidies covering unemployed youths' certification and language test fees, and internship programs at public institutions. It has also built a solid startup ecosystem anchored by the Seongbuk Youth Smart Startup Center and Gireum Youth Startup Street.

The district also runs linked programs of policy counseling, customized support for young people living alone, and startup assistance. These are centered on hub spaces such as Seoul Youth Center Seongbuk, Youth Space Dongseon-i-eum, and Gil:i-eum. In addition, it has significantly expanded youth-led governance through support for the daily-life recovery of isolated and reclusive youth. This includes the operation of the Seongbuk Youth Policy Network and the Youth Festival Planning Group.

Seongbuk-gu won the grand prize in 2019, the communication award in 2021, the policy award in 2023, and the grand prize again in 2025. It won the grand prize once more this year, earning renewed recognition for its youth-friendly policy achievements.

"Winning the grand prize at the Youth-Friendly Awards for two consecutive years is the result of our efforts to develop policies together with young people on the ground," said Lee Seung-ro, Seongbuk-gu district mayor. "We will continue to actively reflect young people's honest voices in district administration and do our best to make Seongbuk a place where young people can dream about their future with confidence and freely challenge themselves and grow."