"Daedong High and Bomun High Take the Lead"... Alumni from These Schools Dominate the Current Administration [Current Affairs Show]

Daejeon Bomun High School and Gwangju Daedong High School in the Spotlight
Sanghwan Kim and Jeong Cheongrae: 29th Graduating Class of Bomun High School
Yongbeom Kim, Gijeong Kang, and Gyuntaek Park: Alumni of Daedong High School

■ Broadcast: Asia Economy 'So Jongseop's Current Affairs Show' (Monday to Friday, 4-5 PM)

■ Host: Political Specialist So Jongseop ■ Director: Producer Park Sumin

Under the Lee Jaemyung administration, Daejeon Bomun High School and Daedong High School in Gwangju Metropolitan City have become widely discussed. They are now regarded as "top-performing high schools" these days. What is the reason? Since the current administration took office, Bomun High School has produced two figures who rank within the top 10 in the national protocol order: the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court and the ruling party leader. Although not explicitly defined by law, the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court holds the fourth position in the national protocol order, following the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The ruling party leader is ranked seventh.

Kim Sanghwan, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, and Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party, are classmates from the 29th graduating class of Bomun High School. They entered in 1981 and graduated in 1984. At that time, there were six classes: two in the humanities track and four in the science track. Chief Justice Kim was in the humanities, while Representative Jeong was in the science track. Bomun High School, operated by a Buddhist foundation, has the motto: "Be truthful, be useful, persevere to the end!" Students learned Buddhist teachings such as the Four Great Vows and the Three Refuges, and attended weekly Buddhist classes. In 1984, Chief Justice Kim ranked first nationwide in the college entrance exam and entered Seoul National University School of Law. Representative Jeong graduated from Konkuk University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. During high school, Representative Jeong was a member of a reading club called "Mandala." It seems that few of his high school friends remember him as a particularly "strong-willed" person.

On the 1st, at the opening ceremony of the regular National Assembly session held at the National Assembly, Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party, and Jeon Hyunhee, Supreme Council member, are having a conversation. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Chief Justice Kim attracted media attention in 2015, when he was a presiding judge at the Seoul High Court, by sentencing former National Intelligence Service Director Won Seihoon to three years in prison and ordering his immediate detention in the courtroom during the appellate trial. His older brother is Kim Junhwan, former Second Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service. After graduating from Daejeon High School and Yonsei University with a degree in Sociology, he passed the 34th civil service exam and mainly worked in the counterintelligence analysis division at the National Intelligence Service, eventually becoming the Second Deputy Director. He was recruited by the Democratic Party ahead of last year’s general election and was given the 18th spot on the proportional representation list. Currently, since up to the 17th candidate on the proportional list have become members of the National Assembly, if any proportional representative resigns, he will immediately take over the seat.

Kim Sanghwan, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, is responding to questions at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on July 21. Photo by Yonhap News

Other notable members of Bomun High School’s 29th graduating class include Kang Younghwan, President of Korea Polytechnic University Hwaseong Campus and former Blue House administrator under the Lee Myungbak administration, and Lim Gwanhyuk, former Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, who published "Law in the Humanities" last year after serving as head of the special investigation division three times.

Daedong High School in Gwangju Metropolitan City had already attracted attention during the Moon Jaein administration. This was because Song Younggil, then Democratic Party leader (6th graduating class), Kang Gijeong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs (7th graduating class), and Kim Osu, Prosecutor General (8th graduating class), were all alumni of Daedong High School. The renewed attention under the Lee Jaemyung administration is due to Kim Yongbeom, Chief of Policy Office at the Presidential Office (6th graduating class), who is a classmate of former Representative Song. Kang Gijeong, Mayor of Gwangju, and Park Gyuntaek, Democratic Party lawmaker (10th graduating class), who played a leading role as the President’s legal counsel in defending against judicial risks, are also alumni of Daedong High School. Established in 1973, Daedong High School’s motto is "Sincerity, Diligence, Contribution." It is located in Maewol-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju.

Kim Yongbeom, the Chief of Policy Office, is holding a press briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on August 20. Photo by Yonhap News

Mayor Kang Gijeong once expressed pride in a past media interview, stating, "During the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, Daedong High School was the first high school to be ordered to close." Former Representative Song has long held Kim Yongbeom, his classmate, in high regard. In a recent media interview, he said, "He is a longtime friend. He is an outstanding person. He was the one who quickly resolved the mask shortage crisis. He performed exceptionally well in times of crisis. Since my time as party leader, I have repeatedly said that Lee Jaemyung should appoint Kim Yongbeom as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, so President Lee Jaemyung is also well aware of Chief Kim Yongbeom."

※Click the video to watch the full content.

Seo Taejong, President of the Korea Institute of Finance, Jeong Gyuil, former President of Seoul Foreign Exchange Brokerage and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Korea, Jeon Choi Dongsu, former President of Woori Financial F&I and former President of Woori Financial Group, Ko Gwanghyo, who passed the 36th civil service exam, served as Director General of the Tax Office at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and as Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service until early July this year, Jeong Jiweon, former Chairman of the General Insurance Association of Korea, who also served as Chairman of the Korea Exchange and President of Korea Securities Finance, and Yong Hongtaek, CEO of SI Flex and former First Vice Minister of Science and ICT, are all Daedong High School alumni who have made their mark in the business sector.