Dongdaemun District Mayor Lee Pilhyeong Meets 500 Teachers and Parents at 46 Schools

On December 4, Dongdaemun District in Seoul (District Mayor Lee Pilhyeong) announced the completion of the "District Mayor's School Tea Discussion Meetings," which began on August 26 and concluded with a visit to Anpyeong Elementary School on the same day. Over the course of four months, the district mayor visited 46 elementary, middle, and high schools in the district, meeting with more than 500 teachers and parents.

A discussion meeting at Dongdaemun High School. Provided by Dongdaemun District Office.

Dongdaemun District has been significantly increasing its education budget under the banner of "normalizing public education." The educational expense subsidy, which stood at 8 billion won in 2022, was expanded to 12 billion won in 2024 and 15.5 billion won in 2025, with a proposed budget of 18 billion won submitted to the district council for 2026. This level ranks among the highest of all districts in Seoul.

District Mayor Lee Pilhyeong stated, "I will not make education policies from behind a desk," as he personally visited schools. The tea discussion meetings covered not only evaluations of each school's curriculum and programs, but also a wide range of topics including school routes, surrounding environments, and everyday civil complaints.

Among this year's support initiatives, "support for international face-to-face exchanges," "support for high school dinner expenses," and "support for school athletic teams" received high marks on site. There was also strong satisfaction with future competency programs such as robotics, coding, artificial intelligence (AI) education, and arts and culture classes.

Specific requests regarding the direction of next year's projects were also raised. Elementary schools commonly requested improvements to school routes and facilities, middle schools asked for expanded career and academic experience programs, and high schools called for strengthening the high school credit system and career and college entrance programs. There were also continued demands for improving literacy, providing psychological and emotional support, and enhancing the learning environment.

Everyday civil complaints raised on site were addressed immediately. On November 25, together with Dongdaemun Police Station and parents from Sindaeb Elementary School, the school route was inspected, confirming risks caused by dump trucks from a nearby construction site. The district responded by allocating additional funds to the "elementary school safety personnel project," increasing the number of safety staff for students commuting to and from school. The following day, at Dongdaemun Middle School, it was found that the sidewalk was crowded with students during dismissal time. To widen the passage, part of the green strip narrowing the sidewalk was removed, and bicycle racks were also relocated.

District Mayor Lee Pilhyeong stated, "Public education can only be restored when teachers, as education experts, have leadership in school education and when students and parents respect teachers' authority," adding, "I will ensure that the voices from the field are fully reflected in the budget and policies to make Dongdaemun District the leading area for normalizing public education."