Seoul's Dobong-gu held the inaugural session of its "Youth Policy Pop-Up" forum at the Dobong-gu Youth Startup Center on Aug. 5, bringing District Mayor Kim Dong-wook face to face with local young residents for an open exchange on district policy.
Modeled on the pop-up store concept, the forum travels to major youth facilities across the district, giving young residents and the district mayor a relaxed setting to discuss issues directly affecting their lives — jobs, housing, culture and more.
Twenty local youth attended the first session. Before the main discussion, participants took part in a "mind-prescription postcard" activity, reflecting on personal concerns and encouraging one another to ease into the conversation.
In the roundtable that followed, attendees put forward three key proposals: providing follow-on startup spaces to help companies that have graduated from the Dobong-gu Youth Startup Center put down roots in the area; building a practical financial support system targeting re-starters and low-credit businesses; and expanding the performance and content-production budget to nurture young creators.
Participants also offered fresh ideas for broader district development, including strengthening AI-focused education and developing social media tourism content tied to local cultural resources.
Kim listened to the proposals and briefed attendees on related projects already underway. For issues that cannot be resolved immediately, he said the district would work closely with the relevant departments to carefully examine feasibility with a view to crafting effective policy.
The session, originally scheduled for one hour, ran for more than an hour and a half amid an animated atmosphere.
The second Youth Policy Pop-Up will be held Sept. 2 at the Seoul Youth Center Dobong, with a third session planned for October.
Each session accepts around 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Those wishing to attend may apply via the QR code on the promotional poster up until the day before the event.
Dobong-gu plans to use the series as a springboard to launch the "Dobong-gu Youth Network" next year — a participatory body that will lead the identification and proposal of youth policy agenda items.
"The true starting point of youth policy is the voice of those it affects," Kim said. "We will do our utmost in follow-up management so that the valuable proposals offered on the ground do not remain mere suggestions but are realized as tangible policy."
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