Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks with young participants at the Seoul Learn Communication Lecture on Thursday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks with young participants at the Seoul Learn Communication Lecture on Thursday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the Seoul Learn Communication Lecture at the 50 Plus East Campus on Thursday — during his vacation — to meet Seoul Learn members preparing to enter the workforce and college student mentors. Oh spoke with the young participants about the communication skills needed to adapt to new environments and offered encouragement for their professional journeys and new challenges ahead.

The event drew 80 participants in total: 44 Seoul Learn members who are college students or early-career professionals, and 36 college students serving as Seoul Learn mentors. The Seoul Learn Communication Lecture was organized to help college students and young professionals reduce the communication difficulties they face when adapting to new environments and to strengthen their capacity for empathy, communication and collaboration in professional settings.

Seoul Learn is a project launched in 2021 to provide equal educational opportunities by offering a range of free education services through a public platform to underprivileged groups who face barriers to educational resources due to socioeconomic circumstances.

"No one's dreams should shrink because of their parents' circumstances," Oh said. "The reason I started Seoul Learn is my belief that everyone, regardless of where they started, deserves the opportunity to build their future through their own effort and talent."

He also urged participants to keep an open mind. "People can broaden their thinking and their view of the world by sharing ideas with others and accepting different opinions," he said. "Rather than searching for the right answer, I hope you will listen to each other's stories and open your minds to perspectives different from your own."

Oh also shared his experience persuading and communicating with citizens as Seoul mayor during a talk program with announcer Han Seok-jun.

"Answers are found in the field, and listening is where empathy begins," Oh said. "Differing opinions are part of the process of finding a better answer, so I make it a point to listen more closely to citizens' voices and work through issues with a willingness to engage in thorough dialogue."

Meanwhile, Oh has maintained a packed schedule of field visits focused on public safety and youth support even during his summer vacation. On Wednesday, he checked on heat-wave response measures at senior cooling centers and later that night inspected on-site tests related to a road-level gap on Seongsudaegyo Bridge. On Thursday, he met with young people preparing to enter the workforce and cheered them on as they embark on new beginnings.


ikson@heraldcorp.com