Yongin City's Lifelong Learning Programs Benchmarked in Japan

"Lifelong education institutions in Yongin City are popular enough that people come from Japan to benchmark them."

The Yongin City Lifelong Learning Center and lifelong learning villages, which serve as the hub of the "lifelong learning" city where study and work are integrated, are gaining popularity among Japanese lifelong learning officials as benchmarking sites.

According to the city on the 10th, on that afternoon at 1 p.m., members of the Japan Society of Social Education including Professor Akitoshi Teuchi of Tsukuba University and Professor Hideki Yamamoto of Okayama University, along with members of the Korea Lifelong Education Society including Professor Il-seon Choi of Kyung Hee University and Professor Byung-chan Yang of Kongju National University, visited Yongin City Hall to receive a briefing on the achievements and best practices of the lifelong learning city initiative and toured the learning garden of the Yongin City Lifelong Learning Center.

They also visited the Community Autonomy Center and Women's Hall in Jukjeon 1-dong, Suji-gu, which are excellent lifelong learning villages.

Professor Akitoshi Teuchi of Tsukuba University in Japan stated, "I visited to benchmark Yongin's excellent lifelong education management practices and apply them to Japanese social education and community center operations."

Meanwhile, last November, the Lifelong Learning Center and lifelong learning villages drew a rush of visits from lifelong learning officials from domestic and international cities including Japan, Taiwan, Daedeok-gu in Daejeon, Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province, and Gijang County in Busan.

Since Yongin City established the Yongin City Lifelong Learning Ordinance in June 2004, stationed professional lifelong education personnel in August 2004, and was designated as a Lifelong Learning City in September 2006, it has shown rapid growth and achieved significant results in the lifelong education field.

In 2008, the city received the honor of winning the Grand Prize in the Basic Local Government Division at the Lifelong Learning Awards hosted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

The Lifelong Learning Award is an award presented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to discover and encourage individuals, companies, local governments, and educational organizations that have contributed to lifelong learning practices across various sectors of society to promote lifelong learning participation among the entire population and spread lifelong learning culture.