Jeonnam Education Superintendent Transition Committee Launches on the 13th: "A Major Shift in Jeonnam Education"

President-elect Kim Dae-jung: "Inherit Educational Values and Innovate the Field"

Kim Dae-jung, Governor-elect of Jeonnam Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Kim Dae-jung, the elected Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam, is forming a transition committee for the fourth directly elected Jeonnam Superintendent of Education and will begin full-scale activities for the operation of Jeonnam education.

According to Kim Dae-jung’s team on the 10th, the Superintendent of Education transition committee will hold its inauguration ceremony at 10 a.m. on the 13th at the Jeonnam Office of Education Sports Education Center and officially begin its schedule.

The transition committee was named the “Jeonnam Education Grand Transformation Preparation Committee (hereafter, the Committee),” reflecting the slogan emphasized by Kim Dae-jung during the election period. The Committee appointed Kwak Jong-wol, former Director of Education at the Jeonnam Office of Education, as the chairperson, and Wang Myung-seok, former Superintendent of Jangheung Education, as the vice-chairperson.

In accordance with the principle of forming a practical committee to realize the elected official’s core pledges, the Committee consists of seven current and former education figures: two from elementary education, two from secondary education, one from private education, and two from administration. To facilitate communication with residents, the Committee also includes two civil society figures and one spokesperson, totaling 12 members in accordance with relevant laws.

The Committee is divided into five subcommittees. To facilitate smooth communication with the executive branch and to concretize pledges early, three subcommittees?policy, education, and administration?were organized according to the education office’s bureau level, with additional subcommittees for planning and resident communication.

For operational support, six administrative support staff and 35 working-level committee members were organized. The working-level members aim to minimize individual workloads and data requests to prevent class disruptions and reduce work gaps.

About 40 academic and teaching organization members, including Hwang Ji-woo, former president of Korea National University of Arts, participate as expert committee members to review specific plans for pledge implementation and design detailed roadmaps.

To realize Jeonnam-style educational autonomy and resident cooperation emphasized by Kim Dae-jung, an advisory committee composed of civil society organization figures was also formed. Approximately 150 advisory members, including Shin Dae-woon, Executive Director of the National Decentralization Solidarity, were organized.

A Committee official stated, “During this election process, we included as many experts and organizations as possible who supported or envisioned the policies of opposing candidates to jointly design future education. The elected official is strongly committed to establishing a foundation for Jeonnam education that combines progressive values with practical realism.”

He added, “The delay in launching was due to current teaching staff serving as working-level members having to balance field duties with transition committee work. To minimize their absence from field duties and avoid disrupting classes, the personnel selection process took time, which delayed the committee’s launch.”

Kim Dae-jung said, “The Committee’s role lies in inheritance and innovation. Reflecting on the 12-year history of educational autonomy, we will inherit the value of fair education that worked to resolve educational imbalance and unite efforts for bold innovation in the education field for future education.”

The newly launched Committee will operate temporarily until the end of next month, during which it will assess the current status of the education office’s work, review pledges, establish detailed implementation plans, and then disband.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.