Applications for the 2026 Second-Quarter Certification Exam Fee Support Program for Unemployed Youth open June 1
Seocho-gu in Seoul will launch its 2026 second-quarter certification exam fee support program for unemployed youth on June 1, offering financial relief to young job seekers preparing for professional qualifications.
Seocho-gu in Seoul announced it will fully launch the '2026 Second-Quarter Certification Exam Fee Support Project for Unemployed Youth' starting June 1 to ease the burden on young people preparing for employment.
Now in its second year of operation, the project has drawn strong interest by providing practical benefits to unemployed youth.
Eligible applicants are unemployed residents of Seocho-gu between the ages of 19 and 39. Each person may receive up to 200,000 won per year. The program covers more than 900 types of examinations completed in 2026, including 38 language proficiency tests, 540 national technical qualifications, 248 national professional qualifications, 96 government-recognized private qualifications, and the Korean History Proficiency Test. However, driver's license tests have been removed from the eligible list this year to focus support on certifications with stronger links to employment.
Within the 200,000-won annual limit, applicants may submit claims any number of times and are reimbursed for actual exam fees paid. Applications are accepted regardless of whether the applicant passed the exam, lowering the barrier for young people to pursue new credentials.
Starting this year, the district has also introduced a quarterly application system to address the previous concentration of applications in the first half of the year.
Applications are accepted four times a year — in March, June, September and November — and only for exams already completed in the same calendar year. The second-quarter window runs from June 1 to June 30 and is open online through the Seocho-gu Office website. Early closure is possible if the budget is exhausted before the deadline.
A district official said, "In 2026, we will push forward with the project to address shortcomings identified during the existing implementation process so that more balanced support can be provided to a greater number of young people." The official added, "We will serve as a reliable pillar so that young people in Seocho-gu who are preparing to enter the workforce in this era of high prices can freely develop their abilities without financial worry."
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