Seodaemun District Mayor Park Woon-ki Takes First Step in Education Partnership With School Parent Leaders

The Seodaemun Parent Association held a forum Tuesday at a local restaurant, bringing together school council chairs, parent association presidents and the newly appointed district mayor to exchange views on advancing local education and strengthening school cooperation.

The gathering marked the first official channel of communication since the new district mayor took office, convened specifically to hear directly from school communities. Parent representatives from elementary, middle and high schools across Seodaemun-gu shared the current state of their schools and key education issues, discussing a range of ways for the community and schools to grow together.

Participants outlined the educational environments and challenges facing their respective schools and proposed measures to provide students with better learning conditions through closer cooperation with the broader community.

Attendees agreed that parents, as engaged members of the local community, should serve as a bridge connecting schools and the district to build a shared education community.

Seodaemun-gu District Mayor Park Woon-ki listened to the parents' wide-ranging views and said, "Schools and the community are a shared entity that must grow together." He added that he would carefully review the proposals raised Wednesday and that the district office would offer its full support for school development.

Park also said he would support the Seodaemun Parent Association's voluntary commitment to local education and continue to maintain open communication and cooperation, drawing strong agreement from those present.

The Seodaemun Parent Association plans to strengthen the network among schools, gather diverse voices from education communities and build an education community in which schools and the broader community grow together.

Park Seung-ran, chair of the Seodaemun Parent Association, said the forum "was a meaningful occasion for schools and the community to understand each other and explore a shared direction for cooperation." She added that the association would continue to create opportunities for dialogue so that parents' voices are effectively conveyed to education policy and the wider community.