The Lifelong Learning City Project in the Republic of Korea

The National Institute for Lifelong Education (NILE) of the Republic of Korea published the first issue of Lifelong Learning in Korea to report on the progress and the current situation of the Lifelong Learning City (LLC) project, which has been carried out since 2001.

In 1999, Gwangmyeong City declared itself the first lifelong learning city in Korea. Subsequently, the Korean Ministry of Education started the LLC project, appointing cities with excellent achievements in the development of lifelong learning infrastructures and lifelong learning promotional plans as lifelong learning cities. Under the project, both professional support, such as training and consulting for stakeholders, and financial support are provided by the Ministry of Education to boost local governments’ efforts in developing learning cities. As of July 2013, 118 Korean cities have been designated as “lifelong learning cities”. The LLC project has greatly contributed to the revitalisation of lifelong learning in Korea and to the expansion of lifelong learning opportunities for Korean citizens. To find out more about the LLC project, please take a look at the first issue of Lifelong Learning in Korea.