Candidate Sungki Kwon Pledges to Build Education Town on Former Masan Lotte Department Store Site

Measures to Address Overcrowded Classes in Buk-myeon, Changwon and Yangdeok-dong, Masan

10 Core Initiatives Announced

Sungki Kwon, a preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education in Gyeongnam, held a press conference on May 6, 2026 in the briefing room of the Gyeongnam Office of Education, where he announced his ‘Changwon Regional Education Specialization Pledge’ aimed at addressing the population cliff and bridging educational gaps.

At the press conference, candidate Kwon stated, “At a time when Changwon’s population has dropped to 980,000 and the school-age population is rapidly declining, I will transform Changwon from a city people leave because of education, to a city people come to for education.” He presented 10 core initiatives to achieve this goal.

Sunki Kwon, Superintendent of Gyeongnam Education Office, held a press conference in the briefing room of the Gyeongnam Office of Education.
Photo by Sunki Kwon Campaign Headquarters

◆ Strengthening Educational Autonomy and Infrastructure Innovation in Masan and Jinhae

The most notable initiative is the plan to build an ‘Education, Culture, and Sports Complex Center’ in connection with urban regeneration in the Masan area.

The site of the closed Lotte Department Store in Masan will be utilized to relocate the Gyeongnam Office of Education’s Second Office, the Gyeongnam Education Training Institute, affiliated organizations and committees under the Gyeongnam Office of Education, and the Changwon City Learning Center of Korea National Open University.

Additionally, the plan includes the creation of an ‘Education and Culture Town’ equipped with a hub center for ‘Art & Sports Day’—one of Kwon’s key pledges—and a 24-hour childcare center.

Kwon aims to provide a variety of small libraries, swimming pools, ice rinks, and other cultural and sports facilities in this complex, sharing them with the local community. These spaces will be open for residents to directly plan and participate in various cultural and sports events.

On the site of Jinhae Girls’ Middle School—which was closed due to its merger with Jinhae Middle School in March this year—there are plans to build a small-scale multipurpose cultural center, including a small library, as a pillar of urban regeneration.

Furthermore, with the recent amendment to the Education Act that transfers the authority to establish or abolish district education offices from the Ministry of Education to city and provincial education offices, Kwon expressed his intention to create ‘Masan Education Support Office’ and ‘Jinhae Education Support Office’ to provide education administration that is closely connected to the local community.

◆ Addressing Long-standing Educational Issues in Jinhae and Buk-myeon

To resolve the chronic inconvenience of long-distance commutes for students in Jinhae, Kwon plans to introduce a dedicated express “Jinhae Edu-Line” school bus through consultations with local governments.

Further, to prevent the outflow of students to other regions and nurture future industry talent, the pledge includes the establishment of ‘Shin Hang High School’ (scheduled to open in 2027), the creation of new middle and high schools in the central region, and the development of a ‘Smart Logistics Specialized High School’ in connection with Jinhae New Port.

In areas with overcrowded classes such as Mudong and Gamgye districts in Buk-myeon, Uichang-gu, Changwon, and Metro City in Yangdeok-dong, Masanhwawon-gu, Kwon promised to establish a “three-party public discussion committee” consisting of parents, residents, and the Office of Education to reach the best possible agreement on expanding classrooms and relocating schools.

◆ ‘Academic Leap’ and ‘AI Education Hub’ for Gyeongnam Education

Kwon’s policies also highlight his expertise as a science and technology specialist. He pledged to foster Changwon Science High School into a top-tier institution nationwide, and to build a ‘High School-University-Industry (Godaegi) Cooperation System’ linked to regional strategic industries such as aerospace and defense, in order to intensively nurture specialized high schools.

In particular, to prepare for the AI era, Kwon proposed a three-stage AI education system: basic competency education centered on reading and discussion to build thinking skills, education utilizing AI-assisted teaching materials, and instruction in the use of AI. He expressed his ambition to make Gyeongnam a global hub for AI education.

Kwon also pledged to raise Gyeongnam’s academic standards to the top level nationwide by implementing elementary school academic assessments, strengthening competencies in secondary schools, operating specialized schools by field, and cultivating excellent middle and high schools through the Gyeongnam-style IB program.

Moreover, he added plans to intensively foster specialized high schools—such as Changwon Technical High School, Masan Technical High School, Hanil Girls’ High School, and Changwon High School—transforming them into leading technical schools at the national level.

◆ “Opening Changwon’s Future with Practical Promises”

Kwon further pledged to: establish a safety and civil complaint management system at the Office of Education level to revitalize school events such as sports days and field trips; convert schools near industrial complexes in Oedong and Jungang-dong, Seongsan-gu, into ‘Green Smart Spaces’ and introduce smart purification systems; and implement the ‘Baekri Table’ policy for an eco-friendly food ingredient supply chain.

Candidate Sungki Kwon emphasized, “To prepare children who will lead future society, we need a ‘Superintendent of Science and Technology’ who can read global industry trends and reshape the paradigm of education. As the right person who combines both humanistic literacy and scientific insight, I will completely ‘transform (body, virtue, knowledge)’ education in Changwon and Gyeongnam.”

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