Yisang-il, Mayor of Yongin, Secures School Environment Improvement Budget Through Ground Efforts

Secured 4.1 Billion KRW in Special Education Grants... Facility Improvements for 3 Schools
Meetings with Principals and Parents of 189 Schools in the District Since Inauguration

At the end of July, students and parents of Yeokbuk Elementary School in Kimryangjang-dong, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do visited the Yongin Mayor's office. The parents requested the construction of a new gymnasium and improvements to the meal facilities to enhance the educational environment. After hearing the explanation, Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin immediately called Vice Minister Jang Sang-yoon of the Ministry of Education to request special grant funding. The mayor persuaded Vice Minister Jang by stating, "Yeokbuk Elementary School, established in 1999, is currently using remodeled classrooms on the fourth floor of the teacher's building as sports facilities, causing noise issues between floors that disrupt classes, making the conditions very poor."

Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin is having a conversation with parents and students of Yeokbuk Elementary School who visited the mayor's office to request the construction of a gymnasium and meal facilities.
[Photo by Yongin City]

The mayor’s persistence and passion ultimately resulted in securing 4.1 billion KRW in special grants from the Ministry of Education. According to Yongin City on the 10th, the city received an official letter the previous day from the Gyeonggi-do Yongin Office of Education confirming the Ministry of Education’s selection results for the '2023 3rd Special Grant Project.'

The special grants approved by the Ministry of Education this time will be allocated to three projects: ▲ expansion of Yeokbuk Elementary School gymnasium (2.56 billion KRW) ▲ expansion of Baekbong Elementary School gymnasium (813 million KRW) ▲ expansion of Wonsam Middle School cafeteria (795 million KRW). The city plans to start facility expansion projects at these three schools from next year using the secured special grants.

Among these, Yeokbuk Elementary School’s project will construct a three-story gymnasium equipped with indoor sports facilities and meal facilities. The total project cost is expected to be 4.8 billion KRW, with the city contributing 1.445 billion KRW. The remaining budget will be covered by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.

The mayor’s passion for improving the educational environment is exceptional. Right after being elected last year, he formed an 'Education Infrastructure Task Force (TF)' within the mayoral transition committee. Since taking office, the mayor has held 12 meetings with principals and parent representatives from 189 elementary, middle, and high schools in the district to listen to key educational issues.

For some schools, he personally visited the sites upon parents’ requests to inspect the issues. The construction of Baekbong Elementary School’s gymnasium was a project directly requested by parents, teachers, and students during the mayor’s visit to the school in July. Similarly, the expansion of Wonsam Middle School’s meal facilities was secured after the mayor personally visited the school, assessed the facility conditions, and conveyed the vivid voices from the field to the Ministry of Education, successfully obtaining the special grant.

The mayor said, "The best investment for the city’s future is nurturing talented individuals," adding, "Although there are financial difficulties, we will do our best to secure budgets related to education so that students can study in a good environment."

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