- Province to review proposals gathered in Aug–Sept and discuss them at next month's Youth Policy Grand Debate

CHUNGCHEONGNAM-DO — On October 6, the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government held the 2nd meeting of the "Connected Chungnam Youth Policy Grand Debate" youth participation group at the provincial office, finalizing the youth policy tasks to be discussed at the upcoming Youth Policy Grand Debate scheduled for November 2.

This meeting served as a platform to translate the issues local youth experience into concrete policies and review their feasibility. Building on proposals from the 1st meeting held on September 21, participants comprehensively examined feasibility, budget appropriateness, and the scale of beneficiaries.

Previously, the province hosted "Local Youth Idea Discovery Meetings" across 15 cities and counties in August and September, listening to policy demands across fields such as employment, housing, welfare, culture, and participation from 140 young people.

Youth pointed out major challenges including a shortage of quality jobs and diverse job roles, as well as the heavy burden of housing costs such as security deposits, monthly rent, brokerage fees, and moving expenses.

Additionally, they proposed improving mobility rights—such as public transport dispatch intervals and late-night transportation—expanding accessible cultural and leisure infrastructure, enhancing accessibility to policy information, and establishing a feedback system to share policy implementation outcomes.

Based on these opinions, the 1st meeting further refined policy tasks by jointly reviewing suggestions submitted through the online "Youth Policy Idea Factory."

As a result, 9 policy proposals were drawn up:

Employment: Chungnam Youth Career Check-up, Chungnam-style Youth-Enterprise Companion Support
Entrepreneurship: Chungnam-style One-Stop Integrated Startup Support Center "Changup-tong" (Communication)
Housing: Chungnam-style Youth Housing, Settlement Environment Improvement Infrastructure
Welfare: Intercity Bus Payback System, "Chungshil Taxi"
Participation & Culture: "Learning the Language of Administration for Youth Policy Proposals," "Generational Empathy Project Connected by Youth"
During the 2nd meeting, the youth participation group re-examined the specific details and feasibility of these 9 proposals, ultimately selecting 5 core policy tasks (one for each field).

The province plans to conduct further reviews on the 5 selected tasks to finalize the discussion agenda for next month's Connected Chungnam Youth Policy Grand Debate.

Han Mi-ra, Head of the Youth Policy Division at the provincial government, stated, "This youth participation group meeting is meaningful in that young people themselves deliberate on policy priorities and shape them into concrete projects. We will meticulously advance these youth-proposed policies so they can be genuinely reflected in provincial administration."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]