Gwangjin-gu wins Youth-Friendly Dedication Award for 4th straight year

Gwangjin-gu won the policy award at the "2026 9th Youth-Friendly Dedication Awards," hosted by the nonprofit Youth and Future, marking its fourth consecutive year receiving recognition at the ceremony.

The Youth-Friendly Dedication Awards honor local governments that have set an example in expanding youth rights, communication and participation, and in advancing youth policies. The award carries particular weight because young people themselves take part directly in the evaluation process.

Gwangjin-gu has appeared on the list of winners every year from 2023 through this year. After winning the communication award for three straight years from 2023 to 2025, the district secured the policy award this year. The achievement reflects consistent youth-focused policies carried out from the eighth popularly elected administration's "Happy Gwangjin, Developing Through Communication" to the ninth administration's "Happy Gwangjin, Comfortable to Live In."

To give young people more opportunities to gain experience and connect with one another locally, the district opened Gwangjin Youth Agit, a multipurpose cultural space for young people, in Jayang 4-dong in June. In Hwayang-dong, which has a relatively high proportion of young residents, the district built the Hwayang Lifestyle Support Center to improve housing conditions and provide everyday convenience services.

The district has also been expanding customized support to ease the economic burden on young people and help them build a stable foundation for daily life. Its lineup of Gwangjin-specific programs includes the Gwangjin-style Youth Monthly Rent Support Project, exam fee support for unemployed young people taking language and certification tests, dosirak support for unemployed young people living alone, and a youth culture and leisure voucher program.

Alongside this, the district has kept channels open to reflect young people's voices in local governance. Initiatives include an on-site district mayor's office, discussion sessions with college students working administrative part-time jobs, the Gwangjin-gu Youth Network and a college student policy planning group. Rather than simply listening to young people's opinions, the district has been strengthening a participation-based approach to youth administration in which policies are jointly developed and carried out with them.

"From dependable dosirak support to Gwangjin Youth Agit, a space that belongs to young people themselves, we have worked to roll out policies that offer real, practical help in areas close to young people's daily lives," said Kim Kyung-ho, the Gwangjin-gu district mayor. "We will continue to do our best to make Gwangjin a comfortable place for young people to live."