Professor Ko Dugap Of Mokpo National University Announces Bid For Superintendent Of Education... "Education Reform Through Economics"

Presenting Five Key Visions, Including Basic Academic Skills and Basic Educational Income

Ko Dugap, dean of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration at Mokpo National University (professor of economics), officially announced his candidacy for the Gwangju-Jeonnam Unified Superintendent of Education election, which will be held together with the 2026 local elections.

On the morning of February 12, Professor Ko held a press conference in the briefing room of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and declared his intention to run under the banner of "education reform through an economic approach." To run in the election, he has effectively burned his bridges by leaving the university lectern and submitting a leave of absence.

Ko Dugap, a professor at Mokpo National University, officially announced his candidacy for the Gwangju-Jeonnam unified superintendent of education election. Provided by the office of Professor Ko Dugap.

He stated, "Our current education system is in a crisis where there is only wasteful spending and no visible investment for the future," and emphasized, "From the perspective of an economist, I will focus the budget on practical support for students and teachers through the efficient allocation of resources."

He went on to say, "A superintendent who is good with numbers will strip away the bubbles in educational administration and, through transparent design, enhance the educational competitiveness of Gwangju and Jeonnam," putting forward the spirit of Silsa Gusi (seeking truth from facts).

The core pledge presented by preliminary candidate Ko is the "integration of Gwangju and Jeonnam education." His plan goes beyond simple administrative integration to build a "sharing economics" model that allows the two regions to share educational resources and infrastructure.

He explained, "By allowing the excellent educational infrastructure of Gwangju and the rich ecological resources of Jeonnam to be used without regard to city and provincial boundaries, we will reduce overlapping budgets and maximize synergy," adding, "This will become the most practical integration model for responding to regional extinction."

As his policy vision, he presented the five key tasks laid out in his book "In an Era of Great Transition, Asking for the Path of Education." These are: strengthening basic literacy and implementing a system of responsibility for public education; introducing "basic educational income" to realize universal educational welfare; establishing regionally linked industry campuses in preparation for the AI era; transforming schools into hubs where care, safety, and culture coexist; and building a lifelong education system for all generations through cooperation with local governments.

Preliminary candidate Ko has served as dean of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration at Mokpo National University, head of the Jeonnam Regional Economic Education Center at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and director of the Jeonnam Talent Lifelong Education Promotion Institute. As vice chair of the Basic Society Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, he has worked to incorporate the discourses of "basic society" and "basic income" into education policy.

He appealed for support by saying, "I am not a politician, but a professional administrator who has spent 20 years designing policies and taking responsibility for their outcomes," and pledged, "I will open a new path for education in Gwangju and Jeonnam that goes beyond past practices."

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