Seoul mayoral candidates Jung Won-o of the Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party both engaged with young voters on May 18, aiming to capture the support of a demographic with a significant number of undecided voters.
Jung held an event titled "Jung Won-o Goes: Interviewing Seoulites, Episode 9 - Youth Living in Seoul" in the afternoon at Cheonggyecheon in the Gwanghwamun area. The event was designed to hear the challenges faced by young people living in Seoul and included participation from a newlywed couple running a small sewing factory, startup representatives, and young individuals involved in urban planning.
After listening to the attendees, Jung stated, "Seoul should not just be a city that survives but one that plans for the future and allows its residents to feel hopeful based on their hard work," promising to develop tailored support policies.
Following the event, he moved to the front of Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu to announce his housing pledges for youth and newlyweds. His proposals include expanding the number of youth rent support recipients to 50,000, providing 10,000 affordable homes for newlyweds, and supplying 30,000 public rental units, along with 50,000 dormitory and shared housing units for young people.
On the same day, Oh visited the Yeongdeungpo campus of the Seoul Youth Employment Academy with Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, to meet with young trainees.
The Seoul Youth Employment Academy is an educational institution established by the city of Seoul and the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) to train professionals in digital fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), and connect them with job opportunities.
Ahn remarked, "Oh is focusing on the current youth generation, and he expressed his commitment to creating excellent programs for young people in Seoul that can be expanded nationwide to improve our country. I felt his sincerity here."
Oh emphasized to the attendees, "In the AI era, it is crucial to cultivate the abilities of young people to help them secure jobs and start businesses, which is vital for the competitiveness of future Seoul." He pledged to make efforts to secure advanced talent that the city needs amid rapidly changing technological advancements.
Oh also announced separate pledges related to youth employment. In his "Quality of Life Special City: Seoul Economy and Job Pledge," he stated that he aims to create an average of 985,000 jobs annually from next year through 2030. To support this initiative, the city will invest 200 billion won to establish a 4 trillion won "Next Economy Seoul Fund," which will be used to transform Seoul into five major hubs for advanced and creative industries.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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