Mayor Baek Younghyun: "We Will Create an Environment Where Students Can Learn and Grow Independently"

Pocheon City Holds Nation's First "Self-Directed Learning Center" Opening Ceremony

Pocheon City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Younghyun) announced on the 26th that it had successfully held the opening ceremony for the nation's first self-directed learning center on the outdoor terrace of Pocheon Myeonam Central Library on the 25th.

Baek Younghyun, mayor of Pocheon, attended the opening ceremony of the nation's first self-directed learning center on the outdoor terrace of Pocheon Myeonam Central Library on the 25th and high-fived a female staff member. Photo by Pocheon City

The ceremony was attended by key figures including Baek Younghyun, Mayor of Pocheon; Lim Jonghun, Chairman of the Pocheon City Council; So Seongsuk, Superintendent of the Pocheon Office of Education; Kim Seongdong, Vice President of EBS; officials from the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education; as well as over 100 parents and students.

The event featured a welcome tea time, a promotional video screening, a storytelling magic show, a roundtable talk, and a citizen participation ceremony.

Instead of a formal congratulatory speech, a roundtable talk was organized to allow all participants to freely share their expectations and opinions about the self-directed learning center. During the main ceremony, rather than a ribbon-cutting, all participants attached wish cards to a sculpture, delivering the symbolic message of "a learning culture created together."

Baek Younghyun, Mayor of Pocheon, stated, "The opening of this self-directed learning center is not merely the inauguration of a facility, but the beginning of a new learning culture led by Pocheon. We will continue to create an environment where students can learn and grow independently."

Baek Younghyun, mayor of Pocheon, is seen cheering at the opening ceremony of the nation's first self-directed learning center held on the outdoor terrace of Pocheon Myeonam Central Library on the 25th. Provided by Pocheon City

Pocheon City plans to use this opening as an opportunity to introduce a variety of customized learning programs at the self-directed learning center to support students' independent growth and to develop the center into an educational hub in collaboration with nearby schools and other educational resources.