Ruling party raises fiscal efficiency concerns as superintendents warn of project cuts; lawmaker calls for investigation into Hi-Learning platform allegations

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik answers lawmakers' questions at the National Assembly's Education Committee national audit on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik answers lawmakers' questions at the National Assembly's Education Committee national audit on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

The National Assembly's Education Committee held its national audit of the Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province education offices on Wednesday, with two issues dominating the session: a proposed overhaul of the local education finance grant system and allegations of preferential treatment in the selection of a contractor for Hi-Learning, an AI education platform. The Democratic Party of Korea pressed for greater fiscal efficiency, while superintendents from the greater Seoul area warned the changes would leave them unable to meet growing demand for education services.

People Power Party lawmaker Seo Beom-su said that comparing the current system — which ties grants to domestic tax revenue — with the government's proposed reform showed a clear reduction in funding available to education offices. "If personnel costs and school operating expenses are budgeted first, won't the project funds that actually reach students inevitably be cut?" he asked.

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik said yes. Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok said his office faced an even harder situation. "Frankly, we are in a more difficult position," An said.

Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung pushed back, saying it was inappropriate to claim budgets had been cut based on tax revenue that had not yet materialized. "The comparison should be made against the finalized budget from the previous year," she said. The Ministry of Education also said the total grant amount for next year would exceed this year's original budget.

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-gye raised the issue of unspent education office budgets and the failure to secure legally mandated transfers from local governments, arguing that fully utilizing already-secured funds should come first.

Jeong countered that transfers from local governments were already reflected in and being spent from the education office's budget. He added that repeated spending cuts during next year's budget planning process had still left a significant shortfall, and he raised the possibility of issuing local government bonds to cover the gap.

Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok answers lawmakers' questions at the National Assembly's Education Committee national audit on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok answers lawmakers' questions at the National Assembly's Education Committee national audit on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

Allegations of preferential treatment surrounding the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education's development of the Hi-Learning platform also came under scrutiny. Democratic Party lawmaker Baek Seung-a raised suspicions about a private dinner between associates of former Superintendent Im Tae-hee and KT Corp officials held before a contractor was selected, questioning whether the project had been designed around a specific company's technology and services. She also called for an investigation into why the information strategy planning process and prior consultations with the Ministry of Interior and Safety had been skipped during the project's development.

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kang Gyeong-suk also urged that the truth be established, noting that individuals connected to the allegations had been reported to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. An said an audit was already under way at the request of the transition committee. "If the audit uncovers illegal conduct such as irregular bidding, I will refer the matter for investigation," he said.

Both ruling and opposition lawmakers also requested documents related to the schools attended by the children of prominent politicians. People Power Party lawmaker Park Jeong-hun questioned the admissions and leave-of-absence policies at Cheongshim International Academy, which Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok's son attended. Baek requested materials on the academic integrity rules at Chadwick International School in Songdo — attended by the daughter of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon — as well as records of how the education office responded to ghostwriting allegations at the time. The Gyeonggi Province and Incheon education offices said they would submit the requested documents by the afternoon.

Lawmakers also questioned the two superintendents on plans to reform the College Scholastic Ability Test and on measures to counter cheating using high-tech devices. Jeong clarified that his remarks about abolishing the CSAT were not a call for immediate elimination, but rather a long-term effort to create the conditions for a possible phase-out around 2040. On AI-enabled glasses, he said smart glasses had been explicitly added to the list of items banned from CSAT examination rooms, and that guidance materials and instructional videos for exam supervisors had been prepared.


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