Jinju City Council Holds "Youth Open Council Festival" for Sunin International Middle School Students

35 Participants, Including 32 First-Year Students... Mock Council Session and Conversation with Council Members
Students Experience Plenary Procedures, from Electing a Chairperson to Debating Ordinance Bills and Voting Electronically
Youth Legislative Experience Program Features Council Tour and Fusion Traditional Korean Music Performance

The Jinju City Council in South Gyeongsang Province held a hands-on legislative program for local teenagers, giving them the opportunity to experience the role of a local council and its decision-making process.

The council said it held the “Youth Open Council Festival” on November 3 for students from Sunin International Middle School, located in Daegok-myeon, Jinju, at the council's main assembly hall, lobby and other areas.

A total of 35 people took part in the event: 32 first-year students from Sunin International Middle School and three accompanying teachers.

[Photo courtesy of the Jinju City Council] Park Mikyeong, chair of the Jinju City Council, poses for a commemorative photo with students and officials from Seonin International Middle School who took part in the Youth Open Council Forum on the 3rd.

The program included a youth mock council session, a conversation with city council members, a quiz on local councils, a tour of council facilities and cultural performances.

At the youth mock council session, held for the second time this year, students experienced the process of electing a chairperson and deliberating on and voting on an ordinance bill.

After listening to the candidates for chairperson present their platforms, the students elected a chairperson by secret ballot.

They then experienced the procedures of a local council plenary session, including two-minute free remarks, presentations explaining proposed ordinance bills, debates for and against, and voting on the bills electronically.

Through the program, the students observed how items are introduced at a local council and then deliberated on and passed through debate and voting.

After the mock council session, the students spoke with city council members, asking questions and exchanging views on the role of local councils and the legislative activities of council members.

They also learned basic information about the structure and functions of local councils through a quiz program titled “How Much Do You Know About the Jinju City Council?”

The students then toured key facilities, including the Council Operations Committee Room and the committee chair's office, and heard about the role of standing committees and the council's operating structure.

The event concluded with a fusion traditional Korean music performance in the first-floor lobby of the council building.

The Jinju City Council said it designed the program to help teenagers understand the decision-making process of local councils and their legislative activities.

Park Mikyeong, chair of the Jinju City Council, said, “I hope this will help teenagers understand how local councils and local autonomy relate to their everyday lives. We will continue to run programs that give students and residents firsthand experience of legislative activities.”

The Jinju City Council was selected in July 2025 as an accredited institution for education donation-based career experience programs and runs hands-on legislative programs, including youth mock council sessions and council tours.

For youth mock council sessions to go beyond one-time tours and become educational programs that deepen understanding of local autonomy and build the capacity to participate, opportunities for students to debate and propose policies need to be expanded on an ongoing basis.

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