Ruling party lawmaker welcomes early launch of Hanam education office, vows continued push in Assembly

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Gwang-jae, who represents the Hanam-gap constituency in Gyeonggi Province, welcomed Gyeonggi Province Education Superintendent Ahn Min-seok's pledge to establish a dedicated Hanam education support office, saying Thursday he would "keep the promise made to parents in Hanam."

Ahn made the pledge at a parent town hall meeting held at the Hanam General Welfare Town on Thursday, and ordered that the office's opening be moved up from the originally planned March 2028 to September next year.

The Hanam Education Support Office is set to open first in a temporary space on the sixth floor of the Hanam General Welfare Town building, with a permanent headquarters to follow in Sinjiang-dong in the original city center. The former sites of Namhan Middle School and Cheonhyeon Elementary School — both of which are relocating to the Gyosan district — are being considered for the permanent headquarters. Because the site cannot be used until both schools complete their moves, the permanent headquarters is not expected to open until 2030 or later.

Regarding the plan, Lee said the office would "open first in a temporary space, then settle into a permanent home in Sinjiang-dong in the original city center," adding that it "must become an education support office that both the new town and the original city center can share."

According to political sources, Lee met with Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin shortly after winning his seat to convey the need for a dedicated Hanam education support office. He has since held multiple working-level consultations with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, the Gwangju-Hanam Education Support Office and the Ministry of Education, and has also discussed the matter repeatedly with members of the National Assembly's Education Committee.

Lee has grounded his case in the growing demand for education administration in Hanam. The number of students enrolled at the 10 elementary, middle and high schools in the Wirye and Gamil districts rose 16.4 percent — from 9,591 in 2023 to 11,165 in 2026, measured as of March 1 each year. Meanwhile, residents in the original city center worry that schools there may disappear altogether.

"It's all Hanam, yet the new town worries about overcrowding while the original city center worries about decline," Lee said. "An office that can address both concerns at once is now coming to Hanam."

Lee also identified securing a budget and staffing for the permanent headquarters as tasks remaining after the office opens, saying he would "work it out in the National Assembly through consultations with the Ministry of Education." He added, "I promised to come to Hanam to get things done, and I will show that through results."