Seoul lawmaker Yoon Yu-jin wins policy award for education improvements

Yoon Yu-jin, a People Power Party member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's education committee representing Songpa District 1, has won the grand prize in the Seoul Metropolitan Council category at the 2026 Seoul Assembly Policy Awards, in recognition of efforts to improve local education conditions and address imbalances in school capacity. Yoon was honored for helping secure a large education budget within just four months of joining the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council, and for bringing public attention to overcrowded classrooms and school shortages.

Yoon received the award Friday at a ceremony held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building.

The 2026 Seoul Assembly Policy Awards — co-hosted by The Herald Business and The Korea Herald and organized by the Seoul Assembly Press Research Society and the Korea Culture, Arts and Sports Promotion Institute — were established this year for the first time to identify outstanding policy achievements and legislative activities that have meaningfully improved residents' lives and contributed to community development.

The selection committee evaluated nominees on policy effectiveness, public impact and community contribution, ultimately naming 21 recipients across four categories: legislation, assembly activity, administration and a special award.

Among Yoon's most notable achievements was securing education funding to renovate aging school facilities. Yoon helped ensure that 13.45 billion won ($10 million) was included in the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's second supplementary budget this year, covering 31 projects across 18 schools in the Songpa Gap constituency.

Key projects included cafeteria and restroom renovations at Jamhyeon Elementary School, cafeteria improvements at Toseong Elementary School, and cafeteria expansion and demolition of a disused storage building at Jamdong Elementary School. The initiatives focused on improving not only students' learning environments but also everyday conditions such as meals, sanitation and facility safety.

Yoon also took an active role in addressing the longstanding problem of uneven student distribution across schools in the area. To tackle overcrowding at Jamsil Middle School in particular, Yoon secured 20 million won in funding for an educational environment assessment, laying the groundwork for follow-up review procedures.

Jamsil Middle School has struggled with persistent overcrowding as student numbers continue to rise, while acquiring additional land for expanded facilities has proven difficult. Various alternatives are under discussion, including making use of the space above a nearby retention basin.

At a five-minute open-floor speech during a Seoul Metropolitan Council plenary session on Aug. 27, Yoon raised the issues of overcrowding at Jamsil Middle School and insufficient classrooms at Jamsil High School. Yoon said that even as Seoul's overall school-age population declines, student demand can actually increase in areas undergoing large-scale reconstruction and receiving new apartment residents.

Yoon said a more flexible school placement policy was needed — one that moves away from uniform enrollment projections and instead reflects local demographic shifts and actual enrollment demand. The underlying message was that education authorities should respond proactively to changes in student numbers to narrow regional gaps in educational opportunity.

Yoon also pursued direct community engagement to bring residents' concerns into the policy process. At a parent and resident forum held at Yeehan Church focused on reducing overcrowding at Jamsil Middle School, participants reviewed crowding conditions at the school and nearby elementary schools and discussed projected student inflows from reconstruction projects and options for expanding educational facilities.

On Oct. 23, Yoon hosted a parent forum on expanding classrooms at Jamsil High School at the Seoul Metropolitan Council's first conference room, with about 50 parents in attendance. Education experts, parents and education office officials gathered to discuss a wide range of issues, including changes to the educational environment under the new five-tier internal grading system and the high school credit system, limited subject choices at smaller schools, and the need for additional classrooms.

These activities were significant not only for bringing public attention to the mismatch between local education demand and school facility supply, but also for exploring ways to improve education administration. Yoon was particularly credited for channeling parents' concerns into council speeches, budget deliberations and policy forums — a community-centered approach to legislative work.

"I am deeply moved to receive this meaningful award," Yoon said. "I will continue to achieve tangible results on the classroom assignment issues at middle and high schools in the area and on improving school facilities, while working to bring changes that residents can feel throughout the community."