Chairman Kim In-ho of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Meets Again with Mayor Oh Se-hoon... Why?

Seoul City Requests Reconsideration of Partial Amendment to Seoul Alternative Education Institution Support Ordinance...Chairman Kim: "Support for Alternative Education Institutions is Necessary to Bridge Educational Gaps and Protect Educational Rights" "Support for Alternative Education Institutions Belongs to the Education Office, Seoul Run Project to Seoul City? Clear Double Standard" Criticism

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, has once again clashed with Mayor Oh Se-hoon over education issues.

On the 21st, Chairman Kim expressed concerns that Mayor Oh Se-hoon's request for reconsideration of the "Partial Amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Alternative Education Institution Support Ordinance" could undermine the law's purpose of substantially reducing educational disparities and protecting educational rights.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council passed the "Partial Amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Alternative Education Institution Support Ordinance" on December 22 last year, which establishes the basis for the Seoul Mayor to support registered alternative education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

The ordinance mandates that the Seoul Mayor consult with the Superintendent of Education when establishing and implementing annual support plans for alternative education institutions to ensure systematic support.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government requested reconsideration on the 10th, arguing that matters related to alternative education institutions fall under the jurisdiction of the Superintendent of Education and that there is no legal basis for financial support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

However, the Seoul Metropolitan Council views the ordinance as neglecting the realities of the educational field and infringing upon students' educational rights.

In 2019, Seoul proactively enacted the Seoul Metropolitan Alternative Education Institution Support Ordinance to protect the right to education for all youth, including out-of-school youth, and to address disparities in educational environments. The ordinance has provided support such as meal expenses, program operation costs, and teacher salaries to alternative education institutions registered with Seoul. In 2021, approximately 8.1 billion KRW was provided to 58 alternative education institutions.

The Alternative Education Institution Act, which came into effect on January 13 this year, was enacted with the same purpose. The key difference is that while the 2019 ordinance stipulates support for "alternative education institutions registered with Seoul," the new law requires support for institutions "registered with the Office of Education."

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that it will cease support for alternative education institutions registered with the Office of Education among those registered with Seoul, and will only support those maintaining registration with Seoul.

Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, stated, "The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education lacks the ordinance basis to support alternative education institutions and, due to severe budget shortages, was unable to allocate a support budget for alternative education institutions in 2022." He expressed concern that "if Seoul does not support alternative education institutions, the educational rights of youth enrolled in these institutions could be seriously infringed."

Regarding Seoul's decision to halt support, he added, "In this situation, by first announcing the intention to stop supporting alternative education institutions registered with the Office of Education, a prevailing atmosphere has emerged in the alternative education field to delay registration with the Office of Education as much as possible." He further noted, "The 'avoidance of registration with the Office of Education by alternative education institutions' resulting from Seoul's decision undermines the purpose of the law's enactment."

Chairman Kim also mentioned the Seoul Run project, a campaign pledge of Mayor Oh Se-hoon. "Both the Seoul Run project and the alternative education institution support project fall under the Superintendent of Education's jurisdiction, yet while the mayor actively promotes the Seoul Run project, he has requested reconsideration of the ordinance and decided to halt support for alternative education institutions. This is a clear double standard," he criticized, adding, "It is difficult to see consistency in Mayor Oh Se-hoon's education policy administration."

Finally, Chairman Kim asserted, "In this era of great transformation, the importance of education cannot be emphasized enough," and stated, "I believe it is Seoul Metropolitan Government, not the Seoul Metropolitan Council, that needs to reconsider its stance to improve the educational environment and guarantee educational rights for youth."