Seoul Learn to Expand to Chungju... 'Chungju Learn' to Launch in 2027

[Financial News] Seoul Metropolitan Government's education welfare policy, Seoul Learn, is expanding to Chungju. Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 29th that it had signed an agreement with Chungju City to reduce private education expenses and narrow the education gap. The signing ceremony was attended by Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, and Lee Dong-seok, Mayor of Chungju, among others.
Under the agreement, Seoul Metropolitan Government will share the Seoul Learn platform and its operational experience, while Chungju City will use them to launch Chungju Learn for 250 high school students from educationally vulnerable groups starting in the second half of next year. The city plans to provide online learning content first and gradually expand the program's eligibility.
This is the eighth partnership between Seoul and a local government to expand the Seoul Learn model to other regions. Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to share its platform operations, educational content and program management experience with Chungju City to help Chungju Learn become firmly established.
Seoul Learn is an education welfare program launched in 2021 to narrow education gaps caused by economic circumstances. It began by providing online learning content and has since expanded its support to include one-on-one mentoring with university students, career and college admissions counseling, and experiential and personal growth programs. About 44,000 students have used the program over the past five years.
Alongside its educational achievements, the program has also helped reduce the burden of private education expenses. In the 2026 college admissions cycle, 914 Seoul Learn users were admitted to college, the highest number ever recorded. A survey conducted by Seoul Metropolitan Government last year found that 61.3% of households using Seoul Learn said their private education expenses had decreased, with average monthly savings totaling 340,000 won.
Seoul Learn's regional expansion is also continuing. Seoul Metropolitan Government previously signed agreements with seven local governments—including North Chungcheong Province, Pyeongchang County, Gimpo City, Incheon Metropolitan City, Taebaek City, Yecheon County and Yeongam County—to expand the Seoul Learn model. About 3,100 students in those areas currently use online learning content and educational support services. With the agreement with Chungju City, the number of local governments adopting the Seoul Learn model will rise to eight.
After the signing ceremony, Oh also gave a special lecture titled "Seoul, a Special City for Quality of Life" to about 200 Chungju residents and city officials. He emphasized that the role of government is not only to promote a city's outward growth but also to improve the quality of life of each individual citizen. He also introduced Seoul's health, leisure and loneliness-related initiatives, including Wrist Doctor 9988, Climate Pass and Goodbye Loneliness 120.
Before the signing ceremony, Oh visited a farm run by a young farmer in Chungju and toured a cultivation site for Tangeumhyang, a specialty product of Chungju. Tangeumhyang is a late-maturing citrus variety that Chungju introduced as an alternative crop in response to climate change and successfully cultivated for the first time in the central-northern region. Oh also discussed ways for the two cities to prosper together with young farmers, including expanding Seoul market access for Chungju agricultural products and promoting and developing related products.
Oh said, "I hope the educational partnership that began in Seoul will continue all the way to Chungju and become a strong source of support for more students as they pursue their dreams," adding, "I will build practical cooperation so that not only education but also Chungju's outstanding agricultural products can reach Seoul residents."

[email protected] Seong Cho-rong Reporter