Asan Mayoral By-election Candidates: "We Will Expedite the Establishment of Tangjeong High School"

Candidates from Both Parties Express Determination
as Land Acquisition Delayed Due to Price Issues

From the left, Democratic Party's Oh Sehyun, People Power Party's Jeon Mankwon, Saemirae's Jo Deokho. (Provided by each candidate's campaign)

Candidates in the Asan mayoral by-election in Chungnam have all stated through press releases since the 11th that they will "expedite the establishment" of Tangjeong High School (tentative name), whose opening has been postponed from March next year to 2028.

All candidates have pledged to open the school by 2028, and both Oh Sehyun from the Democratic Party and Kim Kwangman, a preliminary candidate from the Liberty Unification Party, have also promised to complete construction by 2027.

Jeon Mankwon, the People Power Party candidate who was the first to announce his stance, issued a statement on the 11th, saying, "There is serious concern about the infringement of learning rights for students in the Tangjeong area," and diagnosed, "The delay in school opening is due to the sluggish pace of land acquisition."

He continued, "I will coordinate differences with the developer and other parties as soon as possible and do my best from various angles to ensure the school can open in March 2028," adding, "I will also safeguard the current site and, if elected, take responsibility and lead the agreement."

Oh Sehyun of the Democratic Party also attended a meeting with the Tangjeong High School Promotion Committee on the 13th and said, "(If elected) I will make Tangjeong High School-related matters my top priority for approval."

Oh pledged, "I will mobilize all means and methods, utilizing all personal networks built over the past 20 years, to aim for completion in 2027," and "I will step in to ensure the project developer negotiates quickly with the landowners."

He further emphasized, "I will work to prevent students in Tangjeong and Baebang from losing their eligibility for rural admission benefits due to the delayed opening," and "I will request the Chungnam Office of Education to distribute students as close to their homes as possible and prepare measures to support transportation."

Cho Deokho, candidate from the New Future Party, said in a phone interview on the 14th, "Price negotiations are the biggest issue, and the construction period cannot be shortened further for safety reasons," explaining, "The establishment of the high school is a project led by the Chungnam Office of Education, so Asan City does not have the initiative."

He added, "It could be seen as populism for the city to declare it will take full responsibility," but also said, "What the mayor can do is to encourage smooth negotiations with landowners and help ensure the process proceeds without setbacks."

Kim Kwangman, preliminary candidate from the Liberty Unification Party, said in a phone interview that day, "Based on my experience working for the establishment of Chungnam Foreign Language High School when I was a provincial council member, I will aim for completion in 2027," adding, "While the establishment of Tangjeong High is important, I will also create a 50-page ethics textbook."

He argued, "Since most families have only one child, children don't understand why they need neighbors or friends, or how to treat parents and teachers," adding, "To instill order, I will create the textbook and ensure there is a related class for one hour per week."

Meanwhile, Tangjeong High School was scheduled to open in March next year on a 14,488 square meter site (for 45 classes and 1,169 students) at 523 Galsan-ri, Tangjeong-myeon, but the opening was delayed because the developer, Tangjeong Jeilsandan, failed to meet the development permit requirements.

For the development to proceed, the developer must acquire more than 80% of the land, but due to delays in price negotiations with landowners, only about 35% has been secured so far.