Kim Younggon, Gyeongnam Superintendent Candidate, Pledges to Establish Science and International High Schools in Gimhae

Comprehensive Survey of School Routes with "Safe-Zone 365"

"Good Morning Gyeongnam" Breakfast Project for Interested Students

Kim Younggon, a preliminary candidate for Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education, officially announced his campaign promises No. 2 and 3, titled "Education That Takes Responsibility for a Child's Day," at the briefing room of Gimhae City Hall on the morning of March 4.

Younggon Kim, preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education in Gyeongnam Province, is announcing his campaign promises at the briefing room of Gimhae City Hall.

During a press conference held as part of his "Kim Younggon’s Two-Day, One-Night" tour in Gimhae—where he spends a day in each of the 18 cities and counties—Kim stated, "I will lay the foundation for normalizing education in Gyeongnam through principled unification," adding, "How we take responsibility for a child’s day will be the starting point for transforming education in Gyeongnam."

Kim also introduced the "Respond, Kim Younggon" initiative, which pledges to immediately reflect feedback from the field in policy decisions. As his second campaign promise, he proposed the "Safe-Zone 365 Project."

He explained, "A child's day does not start in the classroom, but on the way to school," promising to complete a comprehensive risk assessment of all school commuting routes for elementary, middle, and high schools in the province within six months. He also pledged to use the data from this assessment to establish a three-year phased improvement roadmap for hazardous areas.

The main measures include: prioritizing the maintenance of areas with high risk of accidents; improving pedestrian signal systems; reinforcing speed control facilities; eliminating CCTV blind spots; and increasing traffic support personnel during school commuting hours.

In addition, he stated that a permanent consultative body led by the Office of Education would be established to operate a regular inspection system in cooperation with local governments and the police.

Kim emphasized, "Only when safe school routes are secured can learning truly begin," and added, "A child's day should not end with safety, but should continue into a well-prepared classroom."

Accordingly, he presented the "Good Morning Gyeongnam" breakfast project as his third campaign pledge. Kim stated that, during the first half of 2026, a comprehensive survey would be conducted on the status of students skipping breakfast, as well as their commuting and sleep conditions, to assess demand at each school. Based on this, breakfast support would be gradually expanded to all students who wish to participate. The plan is to utilize existing school meal infrastructure to maximize efficiency and operate the program on an opt-in basis to minimize potential stigmatization.

On this day, Kim also presented pledges tailored to the Gimhae region. He declared, "I will change the current structure that drives Gimhae’s outstanding talents to other regions," and clarified his intent to establish new special-purpose high schools such as science and international high schools, in order to "provide an educational foundation that fosters local growth and connects with regional industries."

Kim concluded, "Taking responsibility for a child's day starts with commuting safety, extends to a supportive learning environment, and ultimately leads to building a foundation for future local talent. I promise to establish a new standard for education in Gyeongnam by building systems that work in the field, grounded in my administrative experience."

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