Kwon Soonki, Gyeongnam Education Superintendent Candidate: "The Era of Losing Local Talent Due to Education in Gyeongnam Is Over"

Building a "Cross-Shaped Belt of Specialized High Schools"
Connecting Jinju, Changwon, Gimhae, and Yangsan

As students in Gyeongnam continue to score in the lower ranks nationwide on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), there is growing criticism that a fundamental review of the entire educational structure is necessary. Experts analyze that this is not merely an academic ability issue, but rather the result of a university admissions system centered on early admissions and the widening educational gap between regions.

In particular, it is pointed out that high schools in the Gyeongnam region place a high emphasis on student records in their admissions processes, resulting in relatively weak preparation for the CSAT. Consequently, the region repeatedly experiences a polarized grade structure, with a low proportion of top-performing students and a high proportion of lower-performing students.

Kwon Sunki, Preliminary Candidate for Superintendent of Education in Gyeongnam Province.
[Image Provided by Kwon Sunki]

Another problem is the disparity in educational infrastructure. Compared to the Seoul metropolitan area, Gyeongnam lacks access to private education, information on university admissions, and advanced learning environments. This regional educational gap further drags down the overall average academic performance. Experts believe that as the CSAT becomes more difficult in the future, these disparities will only worsen.

In response to these analyses, Kwon Soonki, candidate for Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education, has drawn attention with his bold pledge to transform the region’s educational landscape by establishing a “cross-shaped belt of specialized high schools” centered on Jinju, Changwon, Gimhae, and Yangsan.

◆ “Jinju Gyeongnam Science High School → Transition to Science Academy for the Gifted”

For Jinju, Kwon has pledged a “qualitative leap in education.” His plan is to convert Gyeongnam Science High School into a Science Academy for the Gifted, thereby attracting the nation’s top science students from across Korea.

This conversion is not a mere name change, but a structural reform that expands curricular autonomy and research-oriented education.

Transitioning to a Science Academy for the Gifted aims not only to change the school’s name, but also to restructure it into a system that attracts talent nationwide.

In fact, Science Academies for the Gifted recruit students on a national scale and enjoy high educational autonomy, concentrating top-tier science and engineering students and rapidly elevating the status of local education.

Kwon emphasized his determination by stating, “I will restore Jinju, which has been recognized as an educational city, to its place as the center of education in Korea.”

◆ “Establishing Yangsan Science High School ... Preventing Talent Outflow from the Eastern Region”

The plan to establish a Yangsan Science High School reflects Kwon’s ambition to develop Yangsan into a “science and technology education city that attracts students from across the country.”

Yangsan, despite a rapidly growing population, has lagged in educational infrastructure, leading to a persistent outflow of outstanding students to other cities such as Busan and Ulsan.

By establishing a science high school, the aim is to foster talented students in the eastern Gyeongnam regions of Yangsan and Gimhae locally, breaking the pattern of students leaving their hometowns for educational opportunities elsewhere.

Accordingly, the plan is to create a new science high school that will allow students to receive top-tier science and engineering education within the region.

Kwon has stressed, “By establishing Yangsan Science High School, we will structurally prevent the outflow of local talent and build an R&D-oriented education model linked to future industries such as AI, bio, and robotics.”

◆ Linking Changwon Science High School and Gimhae Foreign Language High School ... The “Cross-Shaped Belt of Specialized High Schools”

The plan includes connecting Changwon Science High School and Gimhae Foreign Language High School to foster talent in the fields of science, foreign languages, and international studies, thereby completing the “cross-shaped belt of specialized high schools.”

This belt connecting Changwon and Yangsan (science high schools), Jinju (science academy for the gifted), and Gimhae (foreign language high school) will form the east-west and north-south educational axes of Gyeongnam, simultaneously nurturing both STEM and global talent.

Kwon explained, “We will build a multidimensional educational ecosystem that fosters talent in science, foreign languages, and interdisciplinary studies simultaneously, making Gyeongnam the center for nurturing talent in Korea.”

◆ Improving Academic Performance at General High Schools ... Gradual Introduction of the “Gyeongnam-Style IB Program”

Measures have also been prepared to improve academic achievement at general high schools in Gyeongnam. These include strengthening basic academic guidance, implementing level-based customized classes, and the gradual introduction of a “Gyeongnam-style IB program.”

In particular, the plan calls for expanding after-school intensive programs and AI-based diagnostic and remedial learning for struggling students, as well as operating subject-specific academic support teams.

By expanding inquiry- and discussion-based classes and written assessment formats, the aim is to enhance critical thinking and academic capability, thereby promoting overall academic growth through self-directed learning and career-linked education.

Kwon emphasized, “If the specialized high school belt becomes the vanguard that leads Gyeongnam’s academic achievement to the top ranks, the general high school academic improvement programs will serve as the lubricant that maintains academic performance above the national average.”

◆ “Gyeongnam, No Longer a Place Students Leave for Education”

The core of this pledge is to “block the outflow of local talent” and to “expand the inflow of outstanding students.”

Currently, a significant number of top-performing students in Gyeongnam leave for the Seoul metropolitan area or other cities and provinces. Kwon defines this as the “phenomenon of educational hollowing out,” and aims to reverse this trend by attracting students from all over the country to Gyeongnam through the specialized high school belt.

Kwon Soonki asserted his determination by saying, “I will make Gyeongnam a place that students seek out for education. I will ensure that young people who learn and grow in Gyeongnam become leaders of Korea’s future.”

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