'The Birthplace of the March 1st Movement' Incheon Changyeong Elementary School Will Not Relocate

Doseonghun, Incheon Superintendent of Education, "Focusing on Improving Educational Conditions in Dong-gu Based on the Preservation of Changyeong Elementary School"

The plan to relocate Changyeong Elementary School in Dong-gu, the birthplace of the March 1st Movement in Incheon, has been withdrawn.

On the 8th, Do Seong-hoon, Superintendent of Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, held a meeting at the city education office and stated, "We will focus on improving the overall educational environment in Dong-gu, based on the premise of preserving Changyeong Elementary School."

Superintendent Do emphasized, "We need to stop the debate over relocating Changyeong Elementary and think about all students in Dong-gu with one voice," adding, "We will gather diverse opinions through a communication council involving related organizations and civic groups to find ways to improve the educational environment in Dong-gu."

The communication council will seek alternatives for improving the educational environment in Dong-gu, including clear historical verification of Changyeong Elementary, improvement of the educational environment, preservation plans for buildings designated as cultural heritage, and the establishment of new schools due to development in the Geumsong and Jeondogwan districts.

Incheon Superintendent of Education Doseong Hoon is explaining the policy to maintain Changyeong Elementary School at a press conference held on the 8th. [Photo by Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education]

Previously, since June last year, the city education office had been promoting a plan to relocate Changyeong Elementary to the nearby Geumsong redevelopment area and establish a girls' middle school on the current site. This plan was considered the most rational to simultaneously address concerns about overcrowding at Changyeong Elementary due to nearby redevelopment and residents' demands for a new girls' middle school.

During this process, the city education office held communication council meetings and residents' briefings involving resident representatives to collect opinions, but opposition erupted in the community ahead of the Ministry of Education's review.

The "Citizens' Group Concerned about the Relocation Incident of Incheon Changyeong School," consisting of about 30 civic organizations, pointed out that "the plan to relocate Changyeong Elementary, a tangible cultural asset, was promoted through communication meetings attended by only some stakeholders, which is a serious issue," and criticized the lack of sufficient public discussion.

The Ministry of Education also rejected the relocation plan at the central investment review in January, which evaluates new school establishments and relocations. Instead, it suggested reconsidering the type of school to be established within the redevelopment area and the utilization plan for the site after relocating Changyeong Elementary, considering the demand for a new girls' middle school in the same school district.

The Geumsong and Jeondogwan districts near Changyeong Elementary are scheduled to begin apartment move-ins for 5,670 households starting in 2026. To accommodate all elementary students from these districts, a school with 36 classes is needed, but Changyeong Elementary currently can only organize up to 20 classes.

On this day, Superintendent Do said, "Since a new school is needed due to nearby redevelopment, establishing a school in the Geumsong district could balance the number of students with Changyeong Elementary," adding, "Although the school type has not been finalized, it could be a combined form of a girls' middle school and an elementary school."