Hanam City Council Closes Extraordinary Session... Unanimously Adopts Introduction of Integrated Special-Needs Classes

Hanam City Council Speaks with One Voice for New Integrated Special-Needs Classes

The Hanam City Council in Gyeonggi Province (Chairman Geum Gwangyeon) concluded its 345th extraordinary session by strongly calling for the introduction of "integrated special-needs classes" to address educational inequality faced by students with disabilities.

Hanam City Council adopted on the 12th, at the 2nd plenary session of its 345th meeting, the resolution sponsored by Councilor Oh Seungcheol urging the establishment of Hanam City's composite special classes using vacant classrooms and newly established schools. Provided by Hanam City Council.

At the second plenary session held on the 12th, the council unanimously adopted the proposal titled "Urging the Establishment of Integrated Special-Needs Classes in Hanam City Utilizing Vacant Classrooms and Newly Opened Schools," sponsored by Councilor Oh Seungcheol.

The adoption of this proposal was intended to resolve the harsh educational reality in which students with severe and multiple disabilities are forced to endure long-distance commuting, due to overcrowded classes and capacity limits at Seonggwang School, the only special school in the jurisdiction.

In his explanatory remarks, Councilor Oh pointed out, "It is urgent not merely to increase the number of schools, but to build an inclusive environment in which students with disabilities can receive education without discrimination near their place of residence."

Through the proposal, Councilor Oh called for: a comprehensive survey to create integrated special-needs classes by utilizing vacant classrooms in schools in the original downtown area; active reflection of integrated special-needs class installation from the design stage of newly established schools such as those in Gyosan New Town; and the recognition that building an educational environment based on "accompanying disabilities" rather than "non-accompanying disabilities" is essential.

The council plans to forward the adopted proposal to the relevant agencies and demand concrete measures to realize Hanam-style inclusive education.

A five-minute free speech session on major pending issues was also held at the plenary meeting that day.

Chairman Geum Gwangyeon was the first to take the podium. Under the theme "Development of the Gyosan Corporate Relocation Site and Securing Public Parking Lots Must Come First," Chairman Geum criticized the inadequacy of parking plans within the Sangsan-gok and Gwangam corporate relocation sites and urged the executive branch to secure a sufficient number of parking spaces by designating public parking lots as "mandatory infrastructure facilities."

Next, Vice Chairman Jeong Byeongyong, in a speech titled "Personnel Is Everything... In Hanam City, Personnel Is a Disaster," condemned the recurring personnel controversies surrounding the heads of invested and funded institutions such as the Hanam Urban Corporation and the Hanam Cultural Foundation, and stressed that a transparent and fair personnel system must be established to restore the collapsed trust in administration.

Chairman Geum Gwangyeon stated, "During this session, we dealt in depth with issues directly connected to citizens' lives, ranging from improving the educational environment for the socially vulnerable to reviewing essential infrastructure for urban development," and added, "I ask the executive branch to do its utmost to actively reflect the adopted proposals, ordinances, and the suggestions of council members in municipal administration so that 2026 becomes a year that drives Hanam's leap forward."

Meanwhile, during this extraordinary session, which ran for 10 days from the 3rd, the council deliberated and voted on a total of 20 agenda items, including the hearing of the "2026 Municipal Administration Key Work Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "2026 Work Plan"). In particular, in this year's "2026 Work Report," the council called on the executive branch to refrain from showy administration and to focus on restoring the livelihood economy, resolving imbalances between regions, and promoting development projects that reflect residents' opinions.

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