Kwangsik Ahn Announces Candidacy for Sejong Superintendent of Education: "I Will Pursue Educational Administration Judged by Results, Not Words"

Ph.D. in Education with 37 Years as a Middle and High School Teacher and Education Administrator
Building a Student-Centered Educational System That Takes Responsibility for Every Student's Growth
Improving School Management Systems to Ensure Career and College Guidance Is Fully Realized Within Public Education

Kwangsik Ahn, Director of Sejong Education Hope Research Institute

Kwangsik Ahn, Director of Sejong Education Hope Research Institute, held a press conference in the briefing room of Sejong City Hall on January 20, officially announcing his candidacy for the Superintendent of Education in the Sejong Special Self-Governing City in the 6.3 local elections. He stated, "Education does not wait, and the growth of children continues at this very moment," adding, "I will implement educational administration that is evaluated by responsibility, not slogans, and by results, not words."

Director Ahn has spent 37 years as a middle and high school teacher and education administrator, dedicating his life to researching education in Sejong. After retiring from public office, he has been actively involved in various civic activities. Notably, he has served as a standing member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, a constitutional body under the direct authority of the President.

Kwangsik Ahn commented, "The current state of education in Sejong cannot fully support the growth of children with existing methods alone," adding, "The role of the superintendent is not to simply maintain and manage the status quo, but to confront the root causes of problems, reform the educational structure, and take responsibility for the results."

Having taught as a middle and high school teacher in Sejong and later handled career education, student safety, conflict resolution, and education policy research at the Office of Education, Kwangsik Ahn emphasized his strength in having experience in both the classroom and administration.

He explained his motivation for running, saying, "I could no longer ignore the limitations I felt in the classroom and the structural problems I witnessed in the field of administration."

Regarding the current situation of education in Sejong, he diagnosed, "We are simultaneously facing accumulated teacher fatigue, parental anxiety over academic achievement and career paths, and a weakening drive for educational innovation."

He particularly pointed out the reality that students lacking basic academic skills or experiencing emotional difficulties are not receiving timely and adequate support, stating that this is not a problem of individual schools but a limitation of the structure of educational policy management.

Based on this awareness of the issues, Director Ahn presented his vision for Sejong education as "Education that Opens a Future of Shared Growth."

He plans to shift to an educational structure centered on students, teachers, and schools, establishing a student-centered system that takes responsibility for the growth of every student, and strengthening integrated support covering basic academic skills, emotional well-being, relationships, and adaptation.

He also announced plans to improve school management systems so that career and college guidance education can be fully realized within the public education curriculum.

Restructuring the administrative system surrounding teachers was also presented as a key pledge.

He pledged to move away from a directive and inspection-oriented role for the Office of Education, shifting to a focus on support and coordination, and to expand the autonomy and responsibility of schools. Director Ahn emphasized, "No educational innovation can be sustained in schools where teachers are burned out."

Additionally, he proposed building an educational ecosystem where schools, communities, and families work together, and introduced a policy to provide a basic student education allowance of 100,000 won per month to all students from third grade in elementary school through third grade in high school.

Other future-oriented pledges included establishing an AI Education Center, introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, permitting after-school foreign language play education in kindergartens, and strengthening support for student-athletes.

Meanwhile, Kwangsik Ahn has served as the former president of the Kumho Middle School Alumni Association, a standing member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, and co-chair of the Democratic Party Sejong Innovation Council. He holds a Ph.D. in Education from Chungnam National University.