Hongbok Academy Begins Recruitment of Financial Contributor...Normalization Process in Full Swing

First Recruitment of External Contributor Since Interim Board
Civic Groups Express Hope for Normalization of Public Education

Hongbok Academy, a private school foundation in Gwangju that has been operating under an interim system since 2015 due to private school corruption in the region, has begun the process of recruiting an external financial contributor. Civic groups have welcomed the move, calling it "a starting point for the normalization of the foundation."

Exterior view of Seojin Girls' High School in Gwangju.

According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and other sources on the 27th, Hongbok Academy posted a notice titled "Recruitment of Financial Contributor for the Normalization of Hongbok Academy" on the website of Daekwang Girls' High School, which it manages, the previous day. Eligible applicants are citizens with educational awareness and the ability to make financial investments. Applications can be submitted in person or by mail to the administrative office of Daekwang Girls' High School from September 1 to 19. The interim board will select the financial contributor through a document review and presentation on the 23rd of the same month, and the results will be released on the websites of both Daekwang Girls' High School and Seojin Girls' High School on the 24th.

Since the appointment of an interim board in 2015, Hongbok Academy has faced various issues, including inconvenient school commute routes and land-related lawsuits. Starting last year, the city office of education formed the "Hongbok Academy Normalization Task Force" to discuss solutions with the interim board, civic groups, professors, and foundation officials. In March this year, it also mediated conflicts over the school commute route near Daekwang Girls' High School. This month, the interim board established the "Hongbok Academy Normalization Promotion Committee" and approved the agenda to recruit an external financial contributor.

Once a financial contributor is selected, the final decision on normalization will be made after review by the city office of education and deliberation by the Private School Dispute Mediation Committee of the Ministry of Education. If no external financial contributor is found, the recruitment process will be reopened.

The Citizens' Coalition for an Egalitarian Society issued a statement that day, saying, "This recruitment of a financial contributor is the starting point for the normalization of Hongbok Academy," and expressed its support for the initiative. The group emphasized, "The interim board system had limitations in resolving issues related to the school commute route and lawsuits, and founder Lee Hongha, even after being released from prison for embezzlement of school funds, did not show a willingness to resolve the foundation's debts. The financial contributor must become the responsible party to lead the development of Daekwang Girls' High School and Seojin Girls' High School." The group also added, "We hope that with the interest and participation of the local community, Hongbok Academy will be reborn as a stable public education space."

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