Seoul mayor unveils 'Youth AI Ladder' as first policy initiative of his ninth elected term
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Wednesday that "companies and technology ultimately come down to people," declaring youth the first priority of his ninth elected term.
Oh made the remarks on Facebook after unveiling the "Youth AI Ladder" policy at Seoul City Hall that day.
"The reason I am announcing the 'Youth AI Ladder' as the first promise of the ninth-term Seoul Metropolitan Government is that Seoul's competitiveness as a global top-three city ultimately starts with people," Oh wrote. "Industry, technology and business all matter. But it is the power of people that drives and completes all that change." The initiative centers on two core strategies: guaranteeing basic AI rights for young people and cultivating an AI-native generation. The city plans to provide AI access credits so any young person can use generative AI regardless of income or qualifications, and to build dedicated immersive AI workspaces — called "Seoul AI Lounges" — near university districts and other areas where young people live and work.
Oh pledged to "guarantee the right of every young Seoulite, regardless of economic circumstances, to freely choose and use the world's top-tier global AI — in other words, basic AI rights." He said the city would "draw up a menu so that young people who want it can choose the AI tool that suits them from at least two of the world's best." He added that the city is "currently in negotiations with leading AI companies that hold the top market share, on pricing terms as favorable as those offered to overseas universities," and promised to "deliver visible results as soon as possible."
Oh said six in 10 university students give up subscribing to the latest AI services because of cost. "Among young people earning 2 million won ($1,290) or less per month, the AI usage rate is just 7.9 percent, while for households earning 5 million won or more per month it reaches 55.5 percent," he said.
He warned that "a structure in which the technology gap is passed down intact through the income gap of parents could return as a new AI-based class system," and said the Seoul Metropolitan Government "will never stand by while the gap in AI proficiency on the job market hardens into a lifelong hierarchy."
cook@heraldcorp.com
