Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "Fostering Well-Rounded Talent... Creating an Era Where Students Come to Study in Gimpo from Mokdong"

Gimpo City Transforms Its Educational Landscape One Year After Special Zone Designation
"Gimpo City Education Development Special Zone Performance Report Meeting" Held
Reviewing Achievements and Envisioning the Future

One year after Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province was designated as an Education Development Special Zone, voices from the educational field are highlighting noticeable qualitative improvements in the educational environment and programs. The local care infrastructure has been further strengthened, the foundations for global and advanced education are rapidly expanding, the groundwork for fostering prestigious universities has been established, and students are being offered broader opportunities to explore career paths.

Kim Byungsoo, Mayor of Gimpo City, is giving a greeting speech at the "2025 Gimpo City Education Development Special Zone Performance Report Meeting" held at Gochon Art Hall on the 21st. Provided by Gimpo City

On the 21st, the city held the "2025 Gimpo City Education Development Special Zone Performance Report Meeting" at Gochon Art Hall, sharing a variety of achievements from the first year as a leading region with its citizens. The event was attended by approximately 200 people, including Kim Byungsoo, Mayor of Gimpo City, local school principals and teachers, parent groups, and representatives from regional education and cultural institutions, who reflected on the progress made and envisioned the future together.

The event began with an awards ceremony recognizing contributions to the Education Development Special Zone. Lee Kyunga, team leader of Yonsei University’s SW-Centered University Project Group, received a mayoral commendation for her contributions to establishing an AI and software education cooperation system and operating high school-university linked programs. Lim Kyunga, director of the Our Child Happiness Care Center, was also recognized for her efforts in operating specialized care centers by region and activating the Safe Companion Service, thereby enhancing the quality of local care.

During the subsequent performance presentations, changes in Gimpo’s education over the past year were introduced by sector. In the care sector, the operation of specialized care centers, activation of the Safe Companion Service, and the opening of the Child Development Support Center have further strengthened the local care infrastructure. In the global education sector, the successful establishment of global citizenship education, English camps, and educational hubs for youth from migrant backgrounds was highlighted as expanding the foundation for global education.

In the future education sector, the rapid expansion of advanced education infrastructure was emphasized, including AI and software education in cooperation with Yonsei University and club mentoring programs. In particular, the designation of Gimpo High School and Masong High School as autonomous public high schools has laid the foundation for systematically operating specialized curriculums, which is seen as a key step toward fostering prestigious high schools. Additionally, the expansion of creative convergence programs based on libraries, media, and sports has broadened students’ opportunities to explore career paths.

In the following best practice presentations, Moon Hyungjun, a teacher at Gimpo Jeil High School, and Jang Seona, a teacher at Gimpo Gaon Kindergarten, presented on the topics of Yonsei University cooperation projects and the integration of early childhood education and care, respectively. Moon Hyungjun, in particular, shared his experience with AI and software education operated in partnership with Yonsei University, stating, "We were able to run programs that would have been difficult for a single school to implement, thanks to the cooperation and support from Gimpo City and Yonsei University. The university student mentoring was extremely helpful for our students, and I am especially grateful for the passion shown by the Yonsei mentors."

He also predicted, "If Yonsei University’s contests, mentoring, and competitions become regular annual events, student career education and school curricula will be naturally connected. This cooperative model can be sustained, expanded, and linked in the future, providing a strong foundation for significantly enhancing the level of AI and software education throughout Gimpo."

In the special lecture that concluded the event, it was analyzed that Gimpo’s special zone projects are achieving balanced development across various fields, including care, global education, and nurturing future talent. The scalability and execution capability of the Gimpo-style education model were also highly praised. Furthermore, it was suggested that moving forward, it will be necessary to strengthen educational governance involving local governments, education support offices, schools, and local communities, as well as to expand citizen participation and further advance the performance management system.

Notably, Gimpo City secured an additional 500 million won in special grant incentives this year, having been recognized for outstanding performance in the Ministry of Education’s operational performance evaluation. This incentive is especially meaningful as it represents the government’s official evaluation of the achievements and policy execution capabilities of Gimpo’s initiatives as a leading region.

Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, "Gimpo is now becoming a city where imagined education becomes a reality. I am grateful to all those who willingly joined hands as Gimpo takes a leap forward with new education. We have worked to foster well-rounded talent by creating diverse programs utilizing Gimpo’s unique resources and collaborating with many people to change Gimpo’s future. Within the next three years, Gimpo will become a city that advances through education, rivaling any region. We will usher in an era where students come to study in Gimpo from Mokdong."

Building on this report meeting, Gimpo City plans to further advance its Gimpo-style education model next year by expanding specialized care, strengthening global education, and nurturing future talent based on AI and software, in preparation for formal designation.