Pocheon and Dongducheon join forces on lifelong learning, win Prime Minister’s Award for joint project

【Financial News | Pocheon and Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province = Kim Kyung-soo, Reporter】A lifelong learning project pursued by Pocheon City and Dongducheon City has won the Prime Minister’s Award in a nationwide evaluation.
The two cities announced on the 5th that the ‘Podong L.I.N.K Learning Partnership Belt’ had been selected for the Grand Prize—the Prime Minister’s Award—in the project category of the 23rd Korea Lifelong Learning Awards, hosted by the Ministry of Education.
The Korea Lifelong Learning Awards recognize and honor outstanding examples of how lifelong learning has brought positive changes to individuals’ lives and local communities.
The project was planned by Pocheon City and Dongducheon City, where the aging rate has exceeded 28%, to address shared challenges such as population decline and the hollowing out of their old downtown areas. It focuses on providing residents with diverse learning opportunities by sharing the two cities’ educational resources without being constrained by administrative boundaries.
Daejin University and the lifelong learning villages in both cities also took part in the project, laying the groundwork for cooperation among local governments, the university and residents.
The project began following a joint consulting initiative for local governments in northern Gyeonggi Province in 2024. The two cities have since fleshed out the project through working-level consultations and developed a cooperative model linking their educational resources.
A notable achievement is that what residents learned has flowed back to their neighbors and local communities. All proceeds from sales of local products and products made using artificial intelligence (AI), which learning village residents and older adults planned and produced themselves, went toward lifelong learning scholarships for local youth.
Residents who received digital training broadened their activities by becoming instructors. They visited nearby senior centers to teach older adults how to use smartphones and digital devices, sharing the knowledge they had acquired with their neighbors.
In October last year, a results-sharing event was held with about 400 residents from 21 learning villages in the two cities. Attendees shared their activities and achievements to date and discussed directions for future development.
Pocheon City and Dongducheon City plan to build on this award to develop their cooperative projects and expand the model to other areas experiencing population decline, beyond northern Gyeonggi Province.

Pocheon Mayor Baek Yeong-hyeon called it “an achievement made possible by the efforts of citizens and those involved in lifelong learning,” adding, “I will expand the foundation for lifelong learning so that learning leads to regional development beyond individual growth.”
Dongducheon Mayor Park Hyeong-deok said, “I am grateful to those involved, including Pocheon City, Daejin University and residents of the learning villages. The solidarity and cooperation between the two cities are an achievement in overcoming the region’s crisis through the power of learning.” He added, “We will build a lifelong learning city where every citizen can learn and grow.”


[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter