“Education that Awakens the History of the Free Republic of Korea and the Values of Liberal Democracy”
“Leading the Nurturing of 100,000 Global Talents to Protect and Guide Busan”
Professor Jeong Seung-yoon of Pusan National University School of Law announced his candidacy for the April 2 Busan Superintendent of Education by-election.
On the morning of the 17th, Professor Jeong declared his candidacy at the Busan Office of Education press room, stating, “I will provide education that awakens the proud history of the free Republic of Korea and the precious values of liberal democracy.”
He said, “The Republic of Korea is plunged into great chaos due to martial law, impeachment, presidential detention, extreme left-right conflicts, and distrust in national institutions such as the Constitutional Court,” diagnosing the cause as “the foolishness of being unable to distinguish truth from falsehood and the lack of courage to protect Korea against injustice.”
Jeong Seung-yoon, a preliminary candidate for Busan Superintendent of Education, stated, “The driving force behind Korea’s 80 years of development and growth has been the power of education,” and proposed “Busan education that nurtures citizens with free will to judge and decide for themselves, wisdom to distinguish truth from falsehood, and the courage to fight and overcome hypocrisy and injustice.”
He also criticized, “The current school environment is in turmoil due to biased ideology, radical policies, and blind equality education,” adding, “Public education in Korea must find its way forward through positivity and achievement, dreams and hopes that create a new world, rather than through denial and anger.”
Preliminary candidate Jeong promised, “In an era where AI dominates information and knowledge, the survival skills required of humans are ‘the power of thinking’ and ‘integrative (統攝的) thinking ability,’” pledging to provide education that strengthens the muscle of thinking and questioning, as well as problem-solving skills.
He especially emphasized ‘literacy education,’ an essential requirement in the New Normal world, and said he would strengthen Korean language education as much as English education.
He also proposed mandatory installation of ‘economic education’ subjects in elementary, middle, and high schools to prepare for the rapidly changing global economic situation, and strengthening economic education in cooperation with financial public enterprises and regional banks headquartered in Busan. The goal is to educate Busan’s children, adolescents, and youth to have abundant economic knowledge and vision, enabling Busan to leap forward as a maritime city and financial hub business center surpassing Singapore and Dubai.
Candidate Jeong vowed, “Teachers should be true to their role as teachers, and students should be true to their role as students,” and pledged to establish teachers’ authority and students’ right to learn based on law, principles, and the common sense and values of the community. Regarding the elementary school student murder case in Daejeon that shocked the entire nation, he said, “Psychological testing should be made mandatory in the teacher selection process, and the system should be improved so that teachers with high ethical standards and emotional stability can stand in the classroom, preventing such tragedies from happening again.”
Recalling the veterans buried at the Busan UN Cemetery, he said, “I will provide education that awakens the history of the free Republic of Korea and the values of liberal democracy,” emphasizing that ‘Freedom’ is a value that can never be abandoned, noting, “When the free Republic of Korea was on the brink of collapse, young people from around the world came to Korea from afar and sacrificed their only lives to protect the universal human values of freedom and solidarity.”
He continued, “Busan, which was the last stronghold that protected Korea during the Korean War and embraced hundreds of thousands of refugees who crossed the front lines, is now even losing its status as the second city,” and said, “Like Yulgok’s theory of raising 100,000 soldiers, I will take the lead in nurturing 100,000 global talents from Busan who will protect and lead Busan.”
Jeong Seung-yoon, a preliminary candidate for Busan Superintendent of Education, has served as a professor of constitutional and administrative law at Pusan National University School of Law and Law School since 2006. He has also served as the executive representative of the Busan Good School Movement Alliance, a standing member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a member of the Government Officials Ethics Committee, chairman of the Central Administrative Appeals Commission, and vice chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
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