Assembly member Kim Gwang-ho confirms March 1 target with Incheon education chief

Follow-up work on staffing, budget and premises now under way

An aerial view of Yeongjong Haneul City in Incheon.
An aerial view of Yeongjong Haneul City in Incheon.

The tentatively named Yeongjong Education Support Office, which will handle education administration for the Yeongjong area of Incheon, is set to open in March 2027.

Incheon City Assembly member Kim Gwang-ho confirmed the March 1 target opening date with Incheon Superintendent of Education Do Seong-hun at the fourth plenary session of the Assembly's 313th extraordinary session Friday.

The planned office comes as demand for education services has surged following the launch of Yeongjong-gu. The district is home to 18,422 students enrolled across 38 educational institutions, and the new office is expected to significantly improve residents' access to education administration.

Schools and parents in the Yeongjong area have long had to travel to the Nambu Education Support Office on the mainland to handle education-related administrative matters.

During the question-and-answer session, Kim pressed the superintendent for details on the opening timeline as well as the state of preparations — including staffing levels, budget, securing a building and transferring duties from existing education offices.

Do said the office's launch preparation center is currently working to determine the organizational structure and staffing size, with internal approval procedures under way.

A related ordinance amendment is to be submitted to the Assembly's 314th regular session, and the budget needed for the opening will be reflected in next year's main budget.

A plan for securing staff was also outlined. Because the total personnel cost system limits net increases in headcount, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education said it will redeploy staff by streamlining overlapping duties between the main office and existing education support offices to meet the new office's staffing needs.

The office will initially operate out of a temporary building, with a permanent facility to be secured over the medium to long term.

"Yeongjong has already grown into an independent education community with more than 18,000 students and 38 educational institutions," Kim said. "Now that a March 1 opening target has been set, all remaining steps — amending the ordinance, drawing up the budget, securing staff and a building, and transferring duties — must be carried out on schedule without delay."


gilbert@heraldcorp.com