2026 3rd Multi-value Forum held... Seeking education and employment support for Korean youth

2026 3rd Multi-Value Forum held... Exploring education and employment support policies for Korean youth living in Korea

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Hyun-soo = The '2026 3rd Multi-Value Forum' was held at the Guro-gu Family Center in Seoul on the 11th to discuss ways to support the settlement of Korean youth living in Korea in Korean society and the development of future talent.

This forum, hosted by the Multivalue Forum and co-hosted by the Seoul Foreign Community Center and the National Association of Korean Compatriots, was held under the theme of 'Support policy for the settlement of Korean youth residing in Korea in Korean society and the development of future talent - Focusing on policies linking education, advancement to higher education, and employment.' About 70 people, including Lee Ki-seong, policy director of the Office of Overseas Koreans, from the government, National Assembly, research institutes, educational institutions, and compatriot organizations attended.

This forum was established to resolve the educational blind spots of Korean youth living in Korea and to explore support policies that link education, advancement to higher education, and employment, as well as ways to cooperate between related organizations.

Kim Ho-rim, president of the National Association of Korean Compatriots, gave a welcome speech, and National Assembly member Cha Gyu-geun of the Fatherland Innovation Party and Guro Middle School principal Cho Seon-yeong gave congratulatory remarks.

Kim Gyeong-hyeop, head of the Overseas Koreans' Office, said in his congratulatory speech, "Korean youth residing in Korea are valuable talents who will lead the future of the Republic of Korea. We will further strengthen cooperation between related organizations so that support at each stage of growth, from education to advancement to employment, can be organically connected."

Yang Gye-min, head of the research planning division at the Korea Youth Policy Institute, presented policy directions for education, advancement, and career support for out-of-school youth who entered the country midway through a presentation on the topic.

He emphasized, “The number of middle and high school students and out-of-school youth entering the country is rapidly increasing, but support for further advancement and career path is still lacking. We need a life cycle support system that goes beyond support centered on Korean language education and includes psychological and emotional support, advancement to higher education, vocational education, and employment linkage.”

In the general discussion that followed, Kang Mo-se, head of the Resettlement Support Department of the Overseas Koreans Office, Moon Min, director of Seoul International Academy, Kim Seok-hyun, principal of Oullim Weekend School, and Park Bok-hee, teacher of Guro Middle School, participated and discussed ways to eliminate educational blind spots for youth who entered the country midway outside of school, expand entry into public education, advance to college and vocational education, and build a community cooperation system.

Participants agreed that support for out-of-school youth who entered the country through immigration should be approached from the perspective of future national talent development and social integration policies, not just from the perspective of educational welfare, and suggested the need to establish a cooperative system in which the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice, the Office of Overseas Koreans, local governments, offices of education, schools, and private organizations participate together.

Jeon Chun-hwa, CEO of the Multi-value Forum, said, “Korean youth living in Korea are an important human resource that will together create the future of the Republic of Korea.” He added, “I hope that this forum will serve as an opportunity to connect voices from the field with policies and establish a practical support system that leads to education, advancement, employment, and social settlement.”