Seoul's Seongdong-gu, led by District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa, is recruiting children to take part in the "2026 Seongdong Children's Policy Forum," an event designed to let children propose policies their neighborhood needs and freely enjoy their right to play.
The forum will be held Sept. 5 at the main auditorium on the third floor of the Seongdong District Office. It is conceived both as a platform for channeling children's voices into district governance and as a festival affirming children's right to play.
Last year, the district gathered candid feedback from children through a roundtable policy discussion and translated the proposals into actual policy. This year it is piloting a program that lets children enrolled in Aiggumnuritori — an elementary after-school care facility — act as play designers, working with professional play instructors to plan and carry out activities of their own choosing through play councils and suggestion boxes.
Particularly notable this year is that participatory play activities have been incorporated into the children's policy forum for the first time, allowing attendees to experience both policy participation and the right to play at a single event. About 100 participants are expected, including children from within the district, their parents and guardians, and staff from children's facilities.
The event is divided into two parts. The first session features group discussions organized around the six domains of a child-friendly city: play and culture, participation and respect, safety and protection, health and welfare, the educational environment, and family life. Children are encouraged to speak freely about inconveniences they have experienced in daily life and ideas for policies their community needs. Participants will then select the most compelling proposals through an electronic vote.
The second session, a play festival, will offer a range of activities — team-building games, cooperative challenges and K-pop short-form dance — giving children the chance to socialize with peers and burn off energy to their heart's content.
Applications are accepted online through the Seongdong District Office website's quick-reservation system through Aug. 24. A total of 100 spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis: 80 for children and 20 for guardians and children's facility staff.
"This forum will be a festival where children participate directly in district governance as rights-holders and play to their heart's content," District Mayor Yoo said. "We will build a child-friendly city in Seongdong where children can express their thoughts freely, run and play without limits, and grow up happy."
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