Establishment of Mudong 2 Elementary School in Buk-myeon, Changwon 'On Hold'... Insufficient Demand Due to Student Numbers

The Gyeongnam Office of Education has put on hold the establishment of the tentatively named "Mudong2 Elementary School," which was planned to be newly built in Buk-myeon, Uichang-gu, Changwon City, to resolve overcrowding and overcapacity issues.

On the 22nd, the provincial education office announced that this was due to a lack of demand for the new school following the prolonged suspension of apartment complex construction planned around the school site, as well as the withdrawal of Changwon City's financial support commitment.

Mudong2 Elementary School was scheduled to open in March 2026 with 361 students and 15 classes.

The total project cost was under 30 billion KRW, including the 3 billion KRW financial support commitment from Changwon City.

Planned site for the provisional Mudong 2 Elementary School in Buk-myeon, Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. [Provided by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

Earlier, the provincial education office had proceeded with the establishment of Mudong2 Elementary and Gamgye2 Middle School after its own investment review in November 2022, but in March this year, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety issued a recommendation to reconsider the establishment, putting the project on hold.

The Ministry requested a re-examination of the objective demand and appropriate scale for the new school based on the central investment review results, and advised that the financial procurement plan be redrafted considering the fiscal conditions of both the local government and the education office.

Following the Ministry's opinion that the financial support plan did not align with the local government's fiscal conditions, Changwon City has withdrawn the 3 billion KRW and 4 billion KRW financial support previously pledged for each school establishment.

The provincial education office assessed that even if Mudong2 Elementary opens in 2026 amid the halted apartment development, it would have to operate with about 170 students and 7 classes, and thus decided on March 19 to proceed with the project based on the sales rate trends of the apartment complexes.

They have since informed local residents that if the real estate market improves and student numbers increase, the establishment of Mudong2 Elementary School will be reconsidered.

The establishment of Gamgye2 Middle School, which was recognized as necessary in the re-examination, will proceed as originally scheduled.

Lee Jong-bu, Director of School Support, said, "We deeply regret the postponement of Mudong2 Elementary School's establishment. Even if we push forward now, the school size may soon be reduced to a scale where a normal curriculum is impossible. We will consider resuming the establishment if student numbers visibly increase following the resumption of development."

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