Seosan City to Invest 18 Billion KRW in Nurturing Local Talent

Haebom Center Linked to the Educational Development Special Zone
Scheduled to Open in September This Year

A view of Seosan City Hall in Chungnam. /Photo by Seosan City

Seosan City in South Chungcheong Province announced that it will invest 18 billion KRW in nurturing local talent through educational innovation and reforming public education to meet regional demands.

Having been selected as a pilot area for the Educational Development Special Zone last year, the city will invest a total of 18 billion KRW, including 9 billion KRW from the national government, by 2026 to fully launch the Educational Development Special Zone project.

The project will focus on: △future talent education in regionally specialized industries such as aviation, chemistry, and advanced mobility; △innovation in public education including the development of regionally specialized textbooks; and △the provision of 24/7, year-round childcare services.

This year, the Haebom Center, which will provide 24/7 year-round childcare services for elementary school students in the area, is scheduled to be established at 233-4 Dongmun-dong.

The Haebom Center, which integrates school-based and local government childcare functions, will be operated so that any elementary school student in Seosan City can use it at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The first floor of the Haebom Center will house a digital education center, equipped with classrooms and experience rooms where students from kindergarten to high school can participate in educational programs focused on future mobility.

The experience room of the digital education center, which aims to open in March 2026, will be equipped with facilities for experiencing AI, VR, drones, and more.

In addition, the city is promoting the development of the 'Haebom in My Hand' app and plans to apply it to individual textbook classes, carrying out a total of 26 special zone projects.

The projects also include support for elementary student supplies and domestic and international historical and cultural exploration programs for middle school students, aimed at strengthening students' competencies.

Mayor Lee Wanseop stated, "We will contribute to regional development by nurturing local talent through the Educational Development Special Zone project and establish a virtuous cycle where regional development, in turn, fosters talent."

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