1,054 Yongin Elementary, Middle, and High School Parents Declare Support for Lee Sangil: "Education Innovation Must Be Completed"

by Lee jonggu

Published 06 May.2026 12:20(KST)

It Is Unprecedented for Over 1,000 Parents to Publicly Support a Single Candidate

Parents Say, "Mayor Lee Sangil Is the Right Person to Lead Yongin's Education for the Next Hundred Years"

1,834 Signatures Delivered for the "Agreement to Promote the Establishment of the AI-Art Convergence High School"

Lee Sangil Says, "Thank You for Recognizing My Efforts to Provide Quality Education Over the Past Four Years"

On May 6, a total of 1,054 parents of students attending elementary, middle, high, and special schools in Yongin Special City officially declared their support for Lee Sangil, the People Power Party candidate for re-election as mayor of Yongin.

While public declarations of support by groups of several dozen parents have occasionally occurred in local government or National Assembly elections in the past, it is extremely rare for a large group of more than 1,000 parents to publicly endorse a specific candidate, drawing significant attention from the local political community.

A total of 1,054 parents of elementary, middle, high school, and special school students in Yongin Special City officially declared their support on the 6th for Lee Sangil, the People's Power candidate for mayor of Yongin, in his bid for re-election. Photo by Lee Sangil

On the morning of May 6, 65 parents representing the 1,054 parents with children currently enrolled in or graduated from 112 elementary, middle, high, and special schools in Yongin visited Lee Sangil's campaign office in Mabuk-dong, Giheung-gu, to announce their support. To clearly demonstrate their sincerity and intent, all 1,054 supporting parents voluntarily submitted a signed list that included the first digits of their resident registration numbers, which are considered personal information.

In their statement, the parents said, "All 1,054 parents have directly witnessed remarkable changes in Yongin’s educational environment over the past four years. We trust in Lee Sangil's strong drive, which has transformed voices from the field into policy for the future of our children, and thus support him as the right person to lead the next hundred years of education in Yongin."

Lee Sangil stated, "It is a great honor that more than 1,000 parents have expressed their heartfelt hope for Yongin students to receive a high-quality education in a safer and better environment by supporting me. I want to express my gratitude to all the parents."

He continued, "During my term as the 8th popularly elected mayor of Yongin Special City, I worked to make Yongin a global semiconductor hub while helping students receive a strong education and grow into outstanding talents for the nation, achieving many tangible results. If I become Yongin’s first re-elected mayor and take on the 9th popular administration, I will maintain my initial commitment and continue contributing to educational development."

On the 6th, 1,054 parents of elementary, middle, high schools, and special schools within Yongin Special City officially announced their support for Lee Sang-il, the People Power Party candidate for mayor of Yongin, in his re-election bid. Photo by Lee Sangil

An Educational Renaissance Proven by Results, Passionate Administration Breaking Down Barriers

The parents explained that their support for Lee Sangil was based on his track record over the past four years: as a passionate supporter of education who has produced real results within the educational community; as a sincere administrator who has worked to lower barriers and close the gap between education and administration; and as a forward-thinking education expert who is drawing a new educational roadmap for the future of Yongin.

The parents highly praised Lee’s efforts during his four-year term as the 8th mayor of Yongin Special City, during which he held 39 meetings with parent representatives and principals from 192 local elementary, middle, and high schools (including 2 special schools) to understand and support each school's situation. He also visited schools 73 times to directly observe and resolve challenges in the field. Furthermore, he actively participated in school commutes safety guidance activities together with the Green Mothers’ Association (East and West branches) comprised of elementary school parents, and has consistently worked to improve the student commute environment around schools, including the creation of designated pick-up and drop-off zones.

In 2023, Lee met with Vice Minister of Education Jang Sangyun to request support for the construction of a gymnasium at Yeokbuk Elementary School and the remodeling of the gymnasium at Pogok Middle School, successfully securing national funding. He also personally requested central government support for projects such as the construction of an indoor gymnasium at Baekam Elementary School, the remodeling of the gymnasium at Wonsam Elementary School, the expansion of the cafeteria at Wonsam Middle School, and the expansion of the gymnasium at Baekbong Elementary School, all of which were realized through his efforts.

Ji-hye Lee, a parent at Yongindaum School, said, "As mayor, Lee Sangil established a virtual reality sports experience center for students with disabilities to ensure their right to learn. He also supported gymnasium construction even for small schools of about 30 students at risk of closure, and built swimming pools shared by students and local residents through the integration of school facilities. He worked hard to provide educational infrastructure so that all students in Yongin, regardless of where they live or any physical challenges, could receive an equal education."

Park Mi-young, a parent at Sangha Elementary School, said, "Although Lee is not an official from the Office of Education, he made direct efforts to communicate with the education community to bridge educational gaps. He ensured children could study in safe and comfortable environments by establishing bus pick-up and drop-off bays in front of local schools and, for the first time in Korea, creating a school snow removal map for safe commuting. He meticulously addressed issues that no one else had considered. Not only did he diligently fulfill his campaign pledges, but he also carried out additional projects for the benefit of citizens, demonstrating his responsibility as mayor."

1054 Parents Declare Support. Provided by Candidate Sangil Lee

From Semiconductor High School to AI-Art Convergence High School... "The Right Person to Foster Future Talent"

The parents also gave high marks to Lee Sangil for drawing up an innovative educational roadmap in tandem with elevating Yongin as a world-class semiconductor hub.

They agreed that Lee is essential not only for preparing the city's future, but also for leading students toward their own futures.

According to the parents, Lee has demonstrated a strong commitment to nurturing Yongin students as global talents by implementing future-oriented strategies such as developing the SK hynix Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in Wonsam-myeon and the Samsung Electronics Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex in Idong and Namsa-eup, thus propelling Yongin toward becoming a global semiconductor hub.

Lee fulfilled his campaign promise by establishing a semiconductor high school to cultivate future talents in the region. This will be the only semiconductor high school in Gyeonggi Province and is scheduled to open next spring in Namsa-eup, Cheoin-gu.

He is also working to establish the (tentatively named) Yongin AI-Art Convergence High School to further expand students’ career options.

A total of 1,054 parents of elementary, middle, high, and special schools in Yongin Special City officially expressed their support for the re-election of Lee Sangil, the candidate for Mayor of Yongin from the People Power Party, on the 6th. Photo by Lee Sangil, candidate

Kim Young-joo, a parent at Yeokbuk Elementary School, said, "Over the past four years, Lee has worked hard to ensure students have diverse career choices for their future. I believe that only Lee Sangil can make Yongin the top city for future education in Korea, which is why I decided to support him."

Meanwhile, Jeon Kyung-hee, head of the Giheung Education and Culture Development Committee, along with other parents, delivered to Lee a citizen-signed "Agreement to Promote the Establishment of the (tentatively named) AI-Art Convergence High School" as part of their support declaration.

The intention is to empower Lee to establish the AI-Art Convergence High School following the opening of the Semiconductor High School in 2027, should he be re-elected as mayor for the 9th popular administration.

Lee Sangil said, "I am grateful that the parents have not only declared their support for me, but are also joining forces in support of the establishment of the AI-Art Convergence High School. If re-elected as mayor for the 9th term, I will strive to raise the quality of education in Yongin to the highest level in Korea, just as the parents hope."