Mayor Seungwon Park: "Citizens' Learning Is the City's Strength... Gwangmyeong Model Will Be Shared Globally"

Gwangmyeong: 27 Years as Korea's First Lifelong Learning City Draws Global Attention

UNESCO Korea Commission, Seoul National University, and Ewha Womans University Delegation Visits

Gwangmyeong's Lifelong Learning Policies Spread as a Model for Learning Cities at Home and Abroad

"Gwangmyeong Autonomous University" Wins UNESCO ESD Certification... Emerges as a Global Learning City

When people hear the term "lifelong learning," they often picture residents taking language or hobby courses at their local community centers. However, Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province takes lifelong learning a step further. Here, citizens not only learn, but actively identify community issues, discuss solutions, and implement them on their own. Learning is not limited to personal development; it is harnessed as a force to transform the city itself.

On the 7th, interns undergoing training from Seoul National University and Ewha Womans University, along with officials from the UNESCO Korea Committee Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), visited the Gwangmyeong Lifelong Learning Center. After sharing Gwangmyeong City's lifelong learning policies and cases of operating global learning cities, they posed for a commemorative photo. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

As the first city in South Korea to declare itself a "Lifelong Learning City," Gwangmyeong (with Mayor Seungwon Park) is now expanding its reach from the domestic to the global stage based on 27 years of accumulated experience. The citizen-led learning model, "Gwangmyeong Autonomous University," has been officially recognized by UNESCO as an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project. Recently, UNESCO Korean Commission officials and intern groups from Seoul National University and Ewha Womans University visited Gwangmyeong to observe how these initiatives are run on the ground.

There is growing recognition that Gwangmyeong City's model of "citizens learning and learned citizens transforming the city" has established itself as a viable city policy framework.

In 1999, Gwangmyeong City became the first in South Korea to declare its status as a "Lifelong Learning City."

The concept that learning does not end with graduation, and that anyone should be able to study continually throughout life regardless of age or occupation, was introduced into local administration from early on.

What draws attention to Gwangmyeong's approach to lifelong learning is that it goes beyond merely offering more courses or expanding educational facilities.

Lifelong learning is directly tied to citizens’ lives and city policies. Citizens determine what they need to learn, discover local issues during the learning process, and work with others to find solutions.

In other words, the focus has shifted from "education that is delivered" to "learning that citizens independently create." The clearest embodiment of this philosophy is the "Gwangmyeong Autonomous University."

Gwangmyeong Autonomous University is markedly different from typical enrichment programs for citizens.

This is a citizen-led lifelong learning model where residents study, discuss local issues, and then put the outcomes of those discussions into action. The purpose is not simply to learn, but to channel learning into meaningful changes within the community.

This approach has gained international recognition.

On June 18th, an expert lecture titled "The Role of Citizens in Realizing a Basic Society" was held at the auditorium of Gwangmyeong Lifelong Learning Center, attended by over 120 students of Gwangmyeong Autonomous University. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

Gwangmyeong Autonomous University was certified as an official UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) project in 2023, and its certification was renewed this year. The citizen-led learning model that started in Gwangmyeong is now recognized as an educational example of how to build a sustainable local community.

Beyond the Autonomous University, Gwangmyeong City has expanded the scope of lifelong learning through projects such as "Gwangmyeong Knowledge Store," where citizens exchange knowledge and experience, and "Parents' Life·Empathy School," which focuses on exploring parents' personal lives and relationships.

The core principle is the same: The emphasis is placed not on "what was learned" but on "what was changed through learning."

On August 7, the Gwangmyeong Lifelong Learning Center welcomed some special visitors.

These guests were participants in a university student internship program jointly operated by the UNESCO Korean Commission, Seoul National University, and Ewha Womans University. A total of 11 people, including 9 interns from Seoul National University and Ewha Womans University and officials from the UNESCO Korea Committee Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), attended.

This visit was arranged at the request of the UNESCO Korean Commission.

The delegation examined Gwangmyeong City's lifelong learning policies and management systems, and also explored major projects such as Gwangmyeong Autonomous University, Gwangmyeong Knowledge Store, and Parents' Life·Empathy School. By touring the facilities at the Lifelong Learning Center, they saw firsthand how learning spaces for citizens are run in practice.

From Gwangmyeong City's perspective, this was much more than a routine institutional visit. It marked a stage of development where a local government's long-standing lifelong learning policies are actively sought out, examined, and shared by external organizations.

Gwangmyeong City's next goal is clear: To share the experience gained over 27 years of lifelong learning with cities around the world, not just within South Korea.

The city intends to use the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities to expand cooperation with overseas cities and educational institutions. The goal is to share experiences of citizen-driven learning that began in the local community with the international community, while also bringing successful policies from other cities back to Gwangmyeong.

Mayor Seungwon Park of Gwangmyeong City is communicating with citizens at the Gwangmyeong Lifelong Learning Center auditorium in December 2025 during the "Gwangmyeong Knowledge Store Winter Special Lecture - 2026 Signal Opened by Artificial Intelligence (AI)×Trends." Provided by Gwangmyeong City

The ultimate purpose of lifelong learning policy lies in its impact on citizens' lives. The aim is to create a virtuous cycle—where one citizen's learning leads not only to individual growth, but also to changes in neighbors, the community, and ultimately the city itself.

Mayor Seungwon Park of Gwangmyeong City stated, "Gwangmyeong City has consistently built a model of lifelong learning where the power gained by citizens through education leads to real change in the community. Moving forward, as a UNESCO Global Learning City, we will actively engage with cities at home and abroad and share Gwangmyeong's outstanding lifelong learning policies with the world."

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