Soonki Kwon, Gyeongnam Superintendent Candidate: "I Will Make Gyeongnam a Better Place to Raise Children"

Responding to Low Birth Rates by Strengthening Education and Childcare

Soonki Kwon, a preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam Province, has drawn significant attention from the education sector by unveiling concrete and innovative welfare policy pledges aimed at making Gyeongnam a better place to raise children.

On March 12, Kwon stated, "The low birth rate issue cannot be resolved by local governments’ childbirth encouragement policies alone," adding, "We must improve the educational and childcare environment, which is the greatest concern for parents after having children."

Sungki Kwon, prospective candidate for Governor of Gyeongnam Province Education Office.

According to a recent population trend survey by the Korea Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), some cities and counties in Gyeongnam have recorded total fertility rates above the national average.

As of 2025, four regions—Sacheon (1.04 children), Jinju (1.01 children), Geochang (1.06 children), and Changnyeong (1.00 children)—have surpassed a total fertility rate of 1.0. The national average total fertility rate stands at 0.80 children.

In particular, Geochang County has ranked first in the province for total fertility rate for three consecutive years, while the number of births has also increased in Sacheon and Jinju. This indicates a rebound in birth rates, especially in western Gyeongnam.

Kwon pointed to improvements in the region's educational and childcare environment as measures supporting this trend.

He noted, "Regions with relatively higher birth rates commonly have made efforts to create a child-friendly environment," stressing, "It is time for the Office of Education to establish a system in which both education and childcare are jointly managed." To this end, he plans to expand elementary after-school care classes and strengthen after-school programs, reinforcing a school-centered care system.

Kwon, while vowing to build on the achievements of the past 12 years in Gyeongnam education, placed "demand-oriented, customized educational welfare" at the forefront to address entrenched educational disparities and declining basic academic skills. The most notable aspect of his welfare policy is the introduction of an "Edu-Care Integrated Voucher."

This policy would provide every student in Gyeongnam, from preschoolers to high schoolers, with 500,000 won per year. Moving away from the uniform in-kind support system, it is designed so that parents and students can directly choose educational services according to their individual needs.

He emphasized, "Every family has different educational service needs. By allowing vouchers to be used for activities such as book purchases, experiential learning, and supplementary lessons, we can ease the financial burden on parents and help students plan their own learning independently."

He also detailed measures to expand care services for dual-income families. By providing free breakfast meals, he aims to ensure children have a proper start to their day and to relieve the morning burden on working parents.

The free breakfast program will offer nutritious options such as bread, rice balls, fruit, and milk to students as they arrive at school, aiming to reduce breakfast skipping rates and simultaneously boost learning concentration and physical health.

Kwon stated, "We will work closely with local governments and communities to establish a 'Gyeongnam-style care model' and completely eliminate blind spots where care gaps occur."

To address declining basic academic skills, he also proposed introducing an AI-based academic diagnostic system to identify struggling students early and provide targeted support through a "Basic Academic Ability Assurance System," with the goal of narrowing educational gaps between regions and social classes.

Additionally, he pledged to thoroughly protect teachers' legitimate educational activities both legally and administratively, restore order in the classroom, and thus create a virtuous cycle that prioritizes students' right to learn above all else.

Accordingly, he plans to introduce the "Teacher Rights Protection 118 System," which offers one-stop support from reporting to recovery. This system will establish a dedicated organization and continuous operation framework for teacher rights protection, similar to the school violence response system, to ensure swift and consistent responses to any infringement on teachers' authority.

Kwon appealed for support, stating, "Children can only be happy when teachers find their work rewarding. These pledges are not just populist measures to win votes, but sincere promises to restore fundamental educational rights and make Gyeongnam the most child-friendly region in South Korea."

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