Bill sponsored by Planning, Safety and Fire Committee lawmaker Yun Mi-gyeong
Young people from Gangwon Province who attend universities elsewhere in the country will now be able to take part in the province's administrative internship program — a path that had previously been closed to them despite their ties to the region.
The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Council said Friday that a partial amendment to the ordinance governing its university student administrative internship program, sponsored by Planning, Safety and Fire Committee lawmaker Yun Mi-gyeong of the People Power Party, was passed at the fifth plenary session of the 349th extraordinary session.
The amendment was designed to give young people who left Gangwon Province to study at universities in Seoul and elsewhere a chance to maintain their connection to their hometown and explore career paths in the region.
The revision aligns with the provincial government's broader goal of attracting and retaining young talent.
The amendment retains the existing recommendation system for universities within the province while adding a new eligibility category: university students who, as of the date of the recruitment announcement, have at least one parent — or themselves — registered as a resident of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
The change gives students with Gangwon roots who attend out-of-province universities a legal basis to gain hands-on experience in public administration at the provincial government headquarters and its affiliated agencies.
"Expanding eligibility must not come at the expense of opportunities for students already enrolled in universities within the province," Yun said. "I will work with the executive branch to review demand by department and the resources needed, and discuss ways to increase the overall number of participants so that existing opportunities are preserved while the program genuinely grows."
She added that if the province wants to ask young people to come back, it must first create opportunities for them to visit and experience it. "I hope that an administrative internship in their hometown will deepen their understanding of and attachment to Gangwon, and give them a concrete reason to consider building their future here," she said.
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