Kim Dae-jung, Lee Jeong-seon, and Seo Geo-seok, Democratic Innovation Education Superintendent Candidates, Key Variables in Final Election Battle
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Democratic Innovation Superintendent candidates in the Honam region, including Kim Dae-jung, candidate for Jeonnam Superintendent of Education, Lee Jeong-seon, candidate for Gwangju Superintendent of Education, and Seo Geo-seok, candidate for Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education, have declared a policy alliance to oppose privileged education and competitive education under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.
On the early morning of the 23rd, the three candidates held an emergency meeting at Lee Jeong-seon’s campaign office in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, and jointly signed the ‘Honam Region Democratic Innovation Superintendent Candidates Policy Alliance Agreement.’
They stated, “Over the past 12 years, South Korea has opened the era of progressive superintendents, partially transforming schools from a focus on competition and ranking to a culture of cooperation and coexistence,” acknowledging the achievements, but added, “However, challenges such as lack of communication, decline in competence, and division remain as innovation tasks.”
The Democratic Innovation Superintendent candidates in Honam declared their solidarity to oppose privileged and competitive education, abolish autonomous private high schools (Jasago), oppose the expansion of regular admissions, strengthen educational autonomy, and promote educational coexistence in the Honam region.
To this end, they drafted plans including integrating democracy education into daily school life through various communication methods, eliminating divisive personnel appointments, and realizing school human rights that guarantee the rights of all members.
The Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s education policy promises to maintain foreign language high schools and autonomous private high schools and to expand the proportion of regular admissions in the college entrance exam, signaling a return to privileged and competitive education reminiscent of the Lee Myung-bak era.
In response, candidates including Kim opposed the Yoon administration’s education policies such as the expansion of regular admissions and decided to respond jointly.
They agreed, “Schools may regress to score competition and repetitive problem-solving education,” and “As a result, the burden on students, parents, and teachers?the stakeholders in education?will obviously increase.”
They added, “Now, innovation that surpasses 12 years of progressive education will begin,” and “We will create education without ‘dad’s chance,’ where students achieve their dreams through their own effort and talent, and schools that realize educational values through coexistence and cooperation.”
Furthermore, they noted, “Schools face various challenges that cannot be overcome by uniform conservative perspectives,” diagnosing that “Tasks such as guaranteeing students’ basic academic skills, building competencies in mathematics, science, coding, and informatization to lead the AI era, addressing climate change, and human rights education must be solved from the perspectives of democracy and innovation.”
They concluded, “We will overcome these through democratic innovation education based on communication and cooperation and nurture capable students with character through personalized education.”
The Democratic Innovation Superintendent candidates in Honam proposed a ‘policy alliance to oppose privileged and competitive education’ to Democratic Innovation Superintendent candidates nationwide, beyond just the Honam region.
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