Establishment of Ulsan Special Education Research Institute... Passed Ministry of Education Central Investment Review

Ulsan Office of Education to Build New Institute in Seongan-dong, Jung-gu
Project Costing 43.9 Billion KRW, Scheduled to Open in 2028

The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Cheon Chang-su) has passed the Ministry of Education's central investment review for the provisional project titled ‘Establishment of Ulsan Special Education Research Institute.’

On January 23, the Ministry of Education held the Central Investment Review Committee meeting and gave final approval to the Ulsan Office of Education’s submitted project for establishing the Ulsan Special Education Research Institute.

Accordingly, the Ulsan Office of Education will begin full-scale construction aiming to open in September 2028.

The Ulsan Office of Education plans to build the Special Education Research Institute on 822 Seongan-dong, Jung-gu, covering a total area of 5,594㎡ with one basement floor and four above-ground floors, investing approximately 43.96 billion KRW including 3 billion KRW in new establishment grants from the Ministry of Education.

The first floor will be designed as a space to improve awareness of disabilities and foster a culture of empathy. The second floor will be used to strengthen career and vocational education for students with special needs, supporting the development of their potential to demonstrate diverse talents. The third floor will provide a space to help students adapt smoothly to school life and interact with their peers. The fourth floor will be dedicated to training and research spaces to support the professional development of special education teachers.

The Ulsan Office of Education enhanced the project’s completeness by addressing issues raised during the central investment review last October and recalculating the annual number of users and operational programs.

They also clarified the division of roles between the Ulsan Special Education Research Institute and the Special Education Support Center of the Education Support Office to promote efficient operation.

To strengthen communication with residents of Seongan-dong, Jung-gu, the Ulsan Office of Education held eight resident briefing sessions and actively collected residents’ opinions, including promising to open the parking lot.

Thanks to the active cooperation of Baekyangsa Temple, a local temple, land acquisition proceeded smoothly, accelerating the project.

In July last year, Superintendent Cheon Chang-su met with Monk Mukam, the head of Baekyangsa Temple, to request cooperation for establishing the Special Education Research Institute. Monk Mukam empathized with the importance of special education and promised to provide the land.

Initially, the Ulsan Office of Education considered several candidate sites including Jung-gu, Buk-gu, and Ulju-gun, but ultimately selected Seongan-dong, Jung-gu, as the final site because it is accessible within 30 minutes from anywhere in Ulsan. Seongan-dong has the advantage of excellent accessibility, being adjacent to various institutions such as the Ulsan Police Agency and Seongan Elementary School.

Superintendent Cheon Chang-su said, “The Ulsan Special Education Research Institute will serve as a central hub for the region’s education and welfare network and contribute to providing high-quality educational services to students with disabilities. We will unite our efforts to ensure the smooth progress of the establishment of the Ulsan Special Education Research Institute.”