Im Jong-sik, superintendent of North Gyeongsang Province's education office, has marked 100 days in office by drawing up a sweeping reform blueprint — the "North Gyeongsang Education 2030 Transformation Plan" — and working to embed it in the office's organizational structure and budget.
Im said in a press release issued Thursday that since the launch of his third elected term he has been pushing innovation in education policy centered on the transformation plan.
As a first step, he proposed cutting policy projects by 50 percent to reduce the administrative burden on schools. Based on surveys of students, parents and staff, as well as departmental reviews, programs with low effectiveness or poor reception will be streamlined, with the results reflected in the 2027 budget.
On July 15, Im unveiled a "human-centered AI transformation" plan drawing on unified login systems and AI agents.
The office is pursuing AI ethics and character education, the establishment of an AI education center, and the creation of an AI education cluster, and has assembled a 130-member AI education innovation support team.
On July 24, Im announced a vision called "hyper-connected North Gyeongsang schools," aimed at narrowing educational gaps between schools and promoting the sharing of educational resources. The initiative will expand students' course choices through joint curricula, shared studio facilities, a teacher-exchange program and a strengthened North Gyeongsang online school.
On July 28, Im disclosed plans to establish a dedicated agency to provide integrated support for cases involving interference with educational activities, malicious complaints and conflict resolution.
The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education also plans to spread its vocational education model overseas, sharing the province's educational experience internationally.
On Aug. 4, Im formally announced the full transformation plan and confirmed five priority tasks alongside the project reduction measures.
On Aug. 13, a vision proclamation ceremony was held in Pohang, attended by about 1,000 students, parents, teachers and community members.
The new vision is "warm North Gyeongsang education that nurtures each student's dream," with the educational motto "in my own way, together, anew."
The five policy directions are AI transformation, personalized growth, safe schools, regional coexistence and empathetic administration. A "Dream Fund" to support students' career development and growth is also being pursued.
On the proposed reform of the local education finance grant system, Im urged that the current regime be maintained and that an official consultative body be formed to incorporate the views of those working in schools.
Im visited the National Assembly's education committee to request stable education funding and fiscal support that takes regional educational conditions into account.
The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education won the top prize at a proactive administration competition for identifying missed electricity bill discounts at schools and establishing a refund and recurrence-prevention system. The win extended the office's consecutive award streak to 11 since the competition's inaugural edition in 2021, with this marking its seventh top prize.
The office is also working with Uzbekistan's vocational education authority to apply North Gyeongsang's vocational high school curriculum locally and strengthen the capacity of Uzbek educators.
A planned 2027 organizational restructuring includes the creation of an AI and digital education division and a revamp of educational activity protection functions. The office is also publicly recruiting 58 members for a campaign pledge implementation review panel.
"Going forward, the key tasks are ensuring the policy project cuts are effective, expanding AI education and securing stable education funding," Im said. "We will pursue the transformation in phases from 2027 through 2030."
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