Mayor Baek Young-hyun vows to expand lifelong learning foundation
Pocheon received the Prime Minister's Award — the top prize — at the 23rd Korea Lifelong Learning Awards ceremony held Thursday at the Government Sejong Convention Center.
Organized by the Ministry of Education and administered by the National Institute for Lifelong Education, the Korea Lifelong Learning Awards is a prestigious annual prize recognizing outstanding contributions by individuals and organizations that have practiced and promoted a culture of lifelong learning in everyday life.
The award is particularly significant because it recognizes the collaborative achievements of Pocheon and Dongducheon, two cities that crossed administrative boundaries to share lifelong learning resources and experiences, with residents taking an active role as learners to address local challenges together.
Pocheon built a cooperative framework with Dongducheon through the Gyeonggi Province lifelong learning opportunity zone project — now known as the Gyeonggi Province lifelong learning revitalization support project — and has carried out a range of lifelong learning programs tailored to the characteristics and needs of each community.
A highlight of the partnership has been the jointly operated "Eum Market," a marketplace where residents of both cities showcase specialty products developed through their learning activities. The two cities donated the full 4.74 million won ($3,540) in sales proceeds as lifelong learning scholarships, creating a virtuous cycle that returns the fruits of learning to the community.
The cities also trained a total of 35 digital literacy instructors — 18 from Pocheon and 17 from Dongducheon. Graduates formed study groups and volunteered their skills at senior centers and other community venues, growing from learners into educators in their own right.
In addition, the two cities held a joint outcomes-sharing event attended by about 400 residents and stakeholders from their respective learning villages, broadening the foundation for exchange and cooperation centered on lifelong learning.
This year, building on those achievements, Pocheon has been advancing the "Eum (EUM): On" project, which aims to establish a sustainable lifelong learning system by activating resident-led learning activities and strengthening the capacity to solve local problems through Eum Villages, Eum Crews and the Eum Research Institute.
Alongside this, Pocheon has been developing lifelong education programs tailored to every stage of life — including lifelong learning villages, a mid-life university for adults in their prime, adult literacy education, a Silver Academy and a humanities program — to ensure all residents have easy access to learning opportunities close to home.
Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyun said the award was "a precious achievement made together by the citizens who joined us with a passion for learning and the people who have practiced lifelong learning on the ground." Baek added that the city would "continue to expand the lifelong learning foundation so that citizens' learning can go beyond personal growth and lead to change and development in the community."
Baek also said the city would "build on the cooperative experience with Dongducheon to expand mutual growth and exchange between regions, and work toward making Pocheon a citizen-led, sustainable lifelong learning city."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
