Seocho District Ushers in a Golden Era of Education with 31.9 Billion Won Investment This Year

Cheongdam High School to Open in March
Banpo Elementary School to Reopen Ahead of Schedule in September

Seocho District in Seoul (headed by District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will invest 31.9 billion won in the education sector this year to establish a comprehensive lifelong education ecosystem. On January 20, the district announced that it will actively implement education policies that encompass all stages of life, from early childhood and youth to adulthood.

Exterior view of Cheongdam High School, opening this March. Provided by Seocho District.

The district will first expand school infrastructure. The long-awaited establishment of a high school in the Jamwon and Banpo areas, a wish residents have held for 30 years, will finally be realized in March this year. With the relocation and opening of Cheongdam High School, the gap in the region's educational infrastructure will be filled. To ensure a smooth opening, the district will provide 2 billion won for the purchase of internal equipment and cover the costs of operating school buses for two years.

Banpo Elementary School, which had been temporarily closed for reconstruction, will also reopen ahead of schedule in September this year. The reopening is being coordinated with the move-in schedule for Banpo 3rd District, enabling residents to prepare for relocation, school admission, and the start of classes in a stable manner.

To foster future talent in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the district will invest 679 million won. Five projects-including digital literacy education, docent tours for cultural and artistic experiential character development, cheerleading, and ecology and environmental education-will be integrated into school curricula to support students’ holistic growth. During school vacations, the district will run camps that combine play and learning through experiments and hands-on activities, and will also provide customized psychological counseling services.

Four regional education support centers-Yangjae-Naegok, Bangbae, Banpo-Jamwon, and Seocho-will offer specialized programs in career guidance, academic advancement, culture and arts, and character education. The Seocho Children's Leadership Conference, which received positive reviews last year, will continue this year. The 'High School Admission Briefing,' previously conducted via YouTube, will be converted to in-person sessions starting this year to reflect changes in the admissions system, such as the implementation of the high school credit system.

The district will allocate 7.3 billion won to elementary and secondary education expenses, an increase of 1.3 billion won from the previous year, to support field trips and improvements to school facilities. The school meal dish rental and cleaning support project, which was piloted last year, will be fully implemented, along with continued operation of school safety assistants and the one-student-one-instrument program for elementary schools. Starting this year, an after-school English play program will be newly introduced for public and private kindergartens in the district.

In the library sector, 10.47 billion won will be invested to expand digital content and replace outdated equipment at 10 public libraries. The recently opened Umyeon Library is the nation's first AI-specialized library, offering personalized reading experiences through its AI library system and 'My Immersive Study' feature. Resident participation programs such as the Seocho Book Street Reading Culture Festival and the Traveling Study will also continue.

In September, the district will open the 'Seocho Lifelong Learning Center' (tentative name) within the Seocho 3-dong Open Culture Center, expanding regional lifelong education hubs. Specialized programs in AI and digital literacy, as well as adult career development, will be offered to enhance the quality of lifelong learning. The Seocho Low Fence Lifelong Learning Center will focus on tailored education for individuals with borderline intellectual functioning, and 757 residents aged 19 and older, including seniors and people with disabilities, will each receive a lifelong learning voucher worth 350,000 won.

District Mayor Jeon Seong-su stated, "Seocho District, which already boasts excellent educational infrastructure, must now become a fully developed educational city where these benefits are evenly distributed to all residents," adding, "We will steadfastly continue the 'golden era of education' that leads the nation."