The district's integrated program — spanning early outreach, psychological recovery and independent living — earns recognition for its step-by-step approach to helping isolated and reclusive youth rejoin society
Gangdong-gu has won an encouragement award in the borough division at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2026 Proactive Administration Best Practices Competition.
Seoul holds the annual competition across three divisions — the main city office, autonomous districts and public corporations — to recognize cases where proactive administration has improved residents' lives. This year's selection process involved a first-round written review, a second-round preliminary screening that included a public vote and evaluation by a proactive administration monitoring panel, and a final review by the Seoul Proactive Administration Committee. Ten cases were selected in the borough division: one top prize, three excellence awards and six encouragement awards.
Gangdong-gu's winning entry, the Integrated Support Project for Isolated and Reclusive Youth, identifies at-risk young people early and provides phased support — from psychological recovery through community reintegration and on to independent living.
The district has built a support framework that connects participants step by step with programs run by related agencies, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, to prevent them from falling back into isolation.
To reach youth who prefer online communication, the district operates a non-face-to-face contact channel called "Maeum Ttokttok" to identify those in need of help. Participants receive psychological and arts therapy as well as opportunities to take part in community activities, followed by tailored support such as employment counseling and hands-on work experience at local businesses.
The district works with Seoul Youth Centers and local businesses to help young people re-engage with society. It also plans to expand corporate independence grants over the next five years to further support participants in achieving self-sufficiency.
"This award reflects our efforts to proactively identify isolated and reclusive youth and help them enter society and live independently," Gangdong-gu District Mayor Lee Su-hee said. "We will continue working with the community and through public-private cooperation so that isolated young people can reconnect with society."
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