[Provided by Yongin City]
[Provided by Yongin City]

Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sang-il held a three-hour meeting with parent representatives from local high schools at the main conference room of Suji District Office on Monday, listening to school-specific concerns and discussing solutions to improve student commute safety and the overall educational environment.

Mayor Lee, officials from the city and the Yongin Education Support Office, and about 60 parent representatives from local high schools attended.

"I am grateful to the parents, teachers and education support office officials who work so hard to help our children learn and grow in a better environment," Lee said. "The city is doing its best to make Yongin's educational environment even a little better than other areas."

Lee added that he hoped parents would speak freely and offer constructive suggestions, as each school faces its own challenges. "There may be issues that are difficult to resolve immediately due to budget constraints or the limits of the city's authority," he said, "but we will actively seek ways to improve by securing the necessary funding and working with related agencies such as the education support office and police."

Before the meeting, the city received a total of 30 proposals from parents — 23 reviewed by the city and seven by the Yongin Education Support Office.

Parents raised a wide range of concerns, including improvements to school commute routes, expansion of traffic safety facilities, securing drop-off and pick-up spaces, stricter enforcement against illegal parking near schools, and the introduction and expansion of school bus services and bus routes.

Regarding a request from Hyeonam High School parents to widen the sidewalk along the school commute route, a city official said design costs — the first step toward carrying out the project — have been included in next year's budget proposal, with design work set to begin once the budget is finalized.

Lee directed officials to complete the design quickly next year and reflect construction costs in a supplementary budget to advance the project as early as possible. "Hyeonam High School has poor public transportation access, so students are struggling to get to school — the city must actively help where it can," he said.

Parents from Suji High School raised concerns that narrow roads near the school's rear gate are frequently blocked by illegally parked vehicles, which could hinder fire trucks in the event of a fire, and that unauthorized smoking is also occurring in the area. They requested stronger enforcement and the installation of closed-circuit television cameras to protect student safety.

Lee acknowledged that requests for CCTV cameras to enforce illegal parking are coming in from many areas, but said current budgets are limited. He directed officials to actively review increasing the relevant budgets at all three district offices so that facilities can be expanded where needed.

Parents from Cheongdeok High School said some crosswalks along the commute route from the Dongbaek area to the school lack traffic signals, exposing students to accident risks, and requested that signals be installed.

A city official said that following a recent traffic safety review by the Yongin West Police Station, the city has decided to install traffic signals at two crosswalks along the relevant stretch, with installation planned for the first half of next year.

Lee asked officials to confirm that the locations matched those identified by the parents, and instructed the responsible civil servants to explain the specific installation plan to the parents after the meeting.

The head of the Taeseong High School parent association thanked the mayor for continued attention to traffic safety and commuting conditions near the school. "Particularly this year, city officials visited the school in person, walked the site with school staff and parents, discussed improvements, and then actually followed through — both the school and the students are very satisfied," the association head said.

The Taeseong High School parent association head also requested that the school's name be clearly displayed in the illegal-parking enforcement messages shown on fixed CCTV signboards near the school, and that ground-level pedestrian signal lights be installed at crosswalks.

Lee directed officials to include the school name — "in front of Taeseong Middle and High School" — in the signboard messages so drivers can easily identify the enforcement zone, and to secure the necessary budget to install ground-level pedestrian signal lights and audio pedestrian signal assistance devices by the first half of next year.

Parents from Yongin High School, Jindeok High School, Hyeonam High School and other schools said many students struggle to commute because they are assigned to schools far from home or because public transportation options are poor. They called on the city to introduce school bus services and expand bus routes.

The city said it currently co-funds school bus operations at 32 elementary and middle schools, splitting costs evenly with the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education, and is also reviewing a survey of high school students' commuting conditions and possible support measures.

The city conducted a survey through the Yongin Education Support Office last August on high school students' commute times and modes of transportation, and is now gathering additional data on students' actual commute routes and public transit demand. Based on the findings, the city plans to review a range of commuting support options, including dedicated student shuttle buses and express bus services.

"Mayor Lee has consistently asked us to keep reviewing ways to ease the commuting difficulties faced by high school students," a city official said. "Accurately understanding where students live, their commute routes and how long it takes them is essential to developing effective support measures, so we hope parents and students will actively participate in the survey."

A parent from Yongin University of Foreign Studies High School requested that streetlights near the school be improved, saying students face difficulties walking at night due to insufficient lighting.

"Among the opinions shared by parents today, matters that can be addressed quickly will be improved right away, and issues requiring further review will be resolved through continued communication with the schools and parents," Lee said.

Lee also encouraged parents to reach out to the city at any time, not just at scheduled meetings. "School issues arise at any moment, so please feel free to communicate with the city regularly, not only at formal meetings," he said, adding that he plans to meet with school principals and parents again next year to hear a wide range of views from the educational community.

Mayor Lee began a series of parent meetings in September with sessions for elementary school parents in Cheoin-gu and Giheung-gu, and has since met with elementary school parents in Suji-gu and middle school parents across the city's districts. Following this high school session, he is scheduled to meet with parents from two special education schools on Nov. 20, completing a full round of consultations with parent representatives from 198 schools in total. A kindergarten meeting is set for Nov. 25.


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