Gyeonggi education chief makes public pledge at parent town hall
Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae calls it 'the wish of all 330,000 Hanam residents'
A historic pledge to establish the country's first independent education support office split from a consolidated district has been made in Hanam.
Gyeonggi Province Education Superintendent Ahn Min-seok publicly promised Thursday to create a dedicated Hanam Education Support Office — and announced he had ordered the opening moved up by six months, from March 2028 to September 2027. The announcement marked a major turning point for a long-held aspiration of the city's 330,000 residents and a central campaign pledge of Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae.
Speaking at a parent town hall meeting at the Hanam General Welfare Town, Ahn said he no longer saw any reason to hesitate. "I think the time has come to make a decision," he said. "Here, on Thursday, I promise the establishment of South Korea's first split education support office — the new Hanam Education Support Office." The announcement drew loud applause and cheers from those in attendance.
Ahn explained that the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education had been planning to pursue the separation and establishment of six consolidated education support offices across the province in sequence. He said Hanam was the most thoroughly prepared of all, making it first in line.
"Hanam is the best prepared, and no other city has done as much to get ready since the beginning of this year," Ahn said. He noted that Hanam's readiness stood out even when factoring in the facilities, personnel and budget required to open a new education support office.
During a question-and-answer session with parents, Ahn said he had directed staff to move the official opening date forward from March 2028 to September 2027. The announcement of a specific target date raised expectations further for an early opening.
The announcement carries particular significance because it links Mayor Lee's core campaign pledge — the separation and establishment of an independent Hanam Education Support Office — directly to a public commitment and an accelerated timeline from the education superintendent.
Mayor Lee had repeatedly urged the Ministry of Education and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to establish an independent education support office, while also working to secure a temporary office building and lay the administrative groundwork for the opening.
Observers say Hanam's proactive efforts to meet the provincial education office's requirements and build the conditions necessary for the opening helped bring about the pledge.
Before the town hall, Ahn toured a policy booth on the first floor of the Hanam General Welfare Town, then met with Mayor Lee over tea in the sixth-floor education office to hear an update on preparations for the temporary office building.
Hanam began building the foundation for independent education administration in January 2020 with the opening of the Hanam Education Support Center. This past January, the city set up a 495-square-meter temporary office on the sixth floor of the General Welfare Town and held a ceremony to inaugurate the establishment task force.
When a subsequent on-site inspection by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education flagged concerns about insufficient space, the city quickly secured an additional 99 square meters, bringing the total independent workspace to 594 square meters. The city also arranged access to 200 parking spaces at a nearby arts and culture center and extended support to cover building management, broadening its administrative and fiscal backing for the opening.
These preparations align with Ahn's earlier remarks. At a plenary session of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly on Sept. 3, he identified Hanam and Yangju as the two cities best prepared for separation. He had also raised the possibility of Hanam going first at a breakfast meeting with eastern Gyeonggi municipal leaders on Aug. 26.
Once independent, the Hanam Education Support Office is expected to respond more swiftly to growing demand for education administration — including opening new schools driven by new town development in Misa, Gamil and Wirye, reducing overcrowded classrooms, and managing student placement.
The Q&A session also touched on a proposal to operate a shared school district with Seoul's Songpa-gu to ease overcrowding in Hanam. Mayor Lee raised the issue of residents being unable to attend nearby schools because of administrative boundaries, and proposed allowing Hanam students to use schools in Songpa-gu for a set period.
Ahn said he sympathized with the reality of children being unable to attend schools close to home simply because of administrative boundaries, and pledged to actively pursue cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. He also proposed forming a task force of relevant agencies to address Hanam's overcrowded classroom problem, and called for developing a "Hanam model" for reducing overcrowding that could be applied to other congested areas.
Earlier Thursday, Ahn participated in a morning exercise program at Gamil Elementary School and a school arrival greeting campaign at Gamil Middle School before the town hall meeting.
At the venue, a display showcasing Hanam's achievements in reading, arts and physical education drew attention from attendees. This year, the city is supporting 192 programs across 49 schools in the district with about 2.1 billion won ($1.57 million), as part of its effort to develop a broad range of student competencies.
Following Ahn's public pledge and his directive to accelerate the opening schedule, Hanam said it would work closely with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to ensure the country's first split of a consolidated education support office leads swiftly to an opening, committing its full administrative resources to the follow-up process.
"The establishment of the Hanam Education Support Office is the wish of all 330,000 Hanam residents, who have been preparing for a long time," Mayor Lee said. "I am deeply grateful to Superintendent Ahn for responding to Hanam's efforts and the heartfelt hopes of its citizens with this promise."
"We will work closely with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to ensure this pledge leads to an early and independent opening," Lee added. "We will do our utmost to make Hanam a great city for raising children."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
