Sang-il Lee, Mayor of Yongin, "Need to Establish Science High School and Practical Arts High School for Regional Development"

Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs, Meets Oh Seok-hwan, Deputy Minister of Education, to Request Support

On the 21st, Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province announced that Mayor Lee Sang-il met with Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Presidential Office, and Oh Seok-hwan, Vice Minister of Education, on the 19th to request support for the establishment of a science high school and a practical arts high school in the Yongin area, as well as the designation of autonomous public high schools.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin.
Photo by Yongin City

Through the materials delivered that day, Mayor Lee emphasized, "To create key bases necessary to maintain the semiconductor industry's technological gap, such as the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex and the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, it is essential to nurture IT talent, so establishing a science high school in Yongin is necessary."

The only science high school in Gyeonggi Province is Gyeonggi Buk Science High School in Uijeongbu. Gyeonggi Province is planning to establish additional science high schools, and major local governments, including Yongin, are fiercely competing to attract them. Mayor Lee holds the position that Yongin, which will have the world's largest semiconductor ecosystem as a single city in the future, is the optimal location for establishing a science high school. Mayor Lee emphasized, "To respond to the diverse educational needs of students, we must establish science high schools and practical arts high schools to broaden students' career choices."

Mayor Lee is also focusing efforts on establishing a 'Semiconductor High School' in Yongin. The plan to establish the Semiconductor High School passed the Ministry of Education's central investment review last month, and the city is proceeding with administrative procedures aiming to open the school in March 2026. The Semiconductor High School will be established using a 17,990㎡ site of the Namgok Branch of Namgok Elementary School in Namsa-eup, Cheoin-gu. The Semiconductor High School is planned to have two departments, 24 classes, and accommodate 384 students.

Through the materials delivered that day, Mayor Lee also conveyed plans to establish a practical arts-focused arts high school (special-purpose high school) for students interested in the arts field and requested support from the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Education. Additionally, Mayor Lee requested positive consideration from the Ministry of Education regarding the designation of two autonomous public high schools currently being promoted in Yongin. The city has applied for Yongin Samgye High School and Baegam High School as candidates for the Ministry of Education's Autonomous Public High School 2.0 contest project.