End of Overcrowded Classes and Long Commutes... Yangsan Seokgeumsan Middle School to Open in 2027

19 Classes and 504 Students in Total

A new middle school will be established in the Seokgeumsan area of Dong-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam, where there had been strong demands for the establishment of a middle school.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education announced on the 14th that the proposal to establish the tentative Seokgeumsan Middle School in the Seokgeumsan area of Yangsan was approved at its own investment review held the day before.

Gyeongnam Office of Education.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

According to the provincial Office of Education, Seokgeumsan Middle School, scheduled to open in March 2027, will be built in Geumsan-ri, Dong-myeon, Yangsan-si, with 19 classes including one special class, accommodating 504 students.

The 2,000㎡ complex facility to be built on a 10,000㎡ school site will include a youth-only community space, a futsal field exclusively for children, and a pilotis-type parking lot utilizing the ground floor space as a parking area.

Although about 400 graduates are produced annually from three elementary schools in the Seokgeumsan area, the only middle school in the area, Geumo Elementary and Middle School Integrated School, can only accommodate seven classes, forcing about 200 students each year to attend distant schools.

Seokgeumsan Middle School will be newly established as a school facility complex with swimming pools, gymnasiums, and other facilities installed in a combined manner according to the needs of the school and the region, and customized programs utilizing these facilities will be operated. It is exempt from the central investment review by the Ministry of Education following the revision of the central investment review regulations in April.

The provincial Office of Education explained that although it must undergo the investment review for school complex facilities by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the establishment of the school has been virtually confirmed by passing this own investment review.

Lee Jong-bu, head of the School Support Division, said, “With the establishment of Seokgeumsan Middle School, overcrowding in middle schools in the Seokgeumsan area and the inconvenience of long-distance commuting will be resolved,” adding, “The newly built school will be used as a facility for both students and local residents, contributing to the improvement of local welfare.”