Jinju City Leads a New Leap Forward as an "Education City"

Strengthening the Foundation for Youth Growth in the Region
Through Self-Development and Career Exploration

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province is drawing attention for realizing a renaissance as an "education city" by expanding a variety of practical education and youth support policies to nurture talent who will become future leaders.

The city is operating several key initiatives to help elementary, middle, and high school students develop their academic abilities and grow into global leaders. These include the Future Generation Happiness Fund Scholarship Program, Jinju Youth Training Center, Jinju Future Talent Learning Support Center, and the Educational Development Special Zone.

Through these efforts, Jinju City is systematically establishing a foundation for students to discover their talents and leap into the world by implementing diverse education and youth policies such as expanding scholarships, overseas cultural exploration, strengthening public education, supporting educational expenses, providing care services, leisure activities, self-development, and career exploration. This has elevated the city’s status as an education hub.

Jinju City 2025 Summer Vacation Overseas English Camp.

Through the "Future Generation Happiness Fund Scholarship Program," Jinju City is working to bridge the gap in educational opportunities and support students in becoming global leaders by promoting various policies.

In 2025, the city is awarding scholarships totaling 265 million won to 364 students across different categories, including academic achievement, welfare, multi-child families, multicultural backgrounds, special talents, and regional specialization. Notably, starting this year, the city has newly selected 100 students from multicultural families, expanding the scope of support. Elementary, middle, and high school students receive 500,000 won each, while university students are supported with up to 2 million won.

In addition, the city actively supports overseas cultural exploration to broaden students' worldviews. This year, a new "Youth Global History and Culture Exploration" program for middle school students was launched, and in August, students visited Xi'an, China.

Especially for high school students, the "Overseas Advanced Culture Exploration" scholarship program offers opportunities to tour top global universities and experience advanced educational environments and cultures, helping them grow as global leaders. During the upcoming winter vacation, the city plans to select 55 high school freshmen and send them to the United Kingdom and France for the overseas advanced culture exploration program.

Jinju City is also supporting a variety of initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness of public education and reduce the financial burden on parents.

In 2025, the city is providing 3.261 billion won in educational expenses to 142 kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools. This funding supports after-school programs, improvement of educational environments, purchase of educational equipment, the Gyeongnam Vocational Education Innovation District Project, kindergarten snack support, and the employment of care assistants during school vacations.

To further alleviate the financial burden on parents and university students, the city supports student loan interest for local university students and provides the "Gyeongsangnam-do Education Support Voucher" to elementary, middle, and high school students from households earning 70% or less of the median income, ensuring all students can focus on their studies without economic concerns.

The Jinju Youth Training Center operates 23 programs across three areas-clubs, cultural experiences, and sports activities-to promote healthy leisure and self-development among youth.

The "Clubs" area consists of 22 clubs (dance, band, singing) with 189 members. The "Cultural Experiences" area offers a variety of year-round programs, including a festival for high school seniors, which receives enthusiastic responses. The "Sports Activities" area is popular due to strong participation and competition in events such as rock climbing competitions and 3-on-3 basketball tournaments for local youth.

In addition, the "Youth After-School Academy" provides comprehensive services for 40 students (from 4th grade in elementary school to 3rd grade in middle school) who need after-school care, including academic support, emotional and life management, talent and aptitude development activities, and meal and commute assistance.

The Jinju Future Talent Learning Support Center is establishing itself as a key hub for nurturing local talent suited to the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It operates 27 programs in six areas: nurturing future talent, self-directed learning, foreign language learning, career and college planning, integrated character education, and online classes, all with a focus on substance and effectiveness.

In particular, the "Foreign Language Learning" area offers various programs to foster global talent with language communication skills, while the "Nurturing Future Talent" area provides opportunities for students to realize their dreams through coding classes and GPT creativity workshops. The "Career Coaching Camp" is held annually for elementary, middle, and high school students in the city to help them develop dreams and visions and enhance their sense of purpose regarding careers and higher education.

The "Summer Vacation Camp" saw 235 students participate in the high school, middle school A and B, and elementary school classes, each for a two-night, three-day program. The winter vacation camp, scheduled for early January 2026, will accommodate a total of 240 students in high school, middle school, and elementary A and B classes.

The "Overseas English Camp," which broadens students' experiences, is held every summer and winter vacation in English-speaking countries for up to three weeks. During this year's winter vacation, about 30 students from grades 5 and 6 of elementary school and middle school will participate in the camp, which will be held in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, from February 7 to February 26, 2026, for a total of 20 days.

In 2024, Jinju City was designated by the Ministry of Education as a pilot area for the "Educational Development Special Zone" and has since focused on nurturing talent in the region's specialized "aerospace industry." This initiative receives financial support for three years and aims for educational innovation, talent development, and local settlement through cooperation between the local government, the education office, universities, companies, and public institutions.

Students have clarified their career paths and visions by visiting leading defense companies such as Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) through the "Outstanding Local Companies Exploration" program. In November, the city hosted a "Career Experience Talk Concert" attended by about 400 youth, sharing success stories from the KAI Future Strategy Team manager, an employee from Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), a designer who won the Prime Minister’s Award at the Korea Crafts Competition, and a local food culture startup brand CEO, supporting youth in discovering and pursuing their dreams.

Through these diverse education and youth policies, Jinju City has been systematically establishing a foundation for students to discover their talents and leap into the world. Moving forward, the city plans to continue implementing practical and sustainable education policies to build an environment where many students can enjoy equal opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.