Gyeonggi Superintendent Minseok An: "I Strongly Welcome the Ministry of Education’s 'Smartphone-Free School' Initiative"

Minseok An, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, stated on the 20th, "I actively welcome the Ministry of Education's decision to implement the 'Smartphone-Free School' initiative starting from the second semester of this year."

In his statement released on the same day, Superintendent An said, "Although it is belated, as the government has taken its first step toward change in school settings, I hope this initiative will be expanded to schools nationwide." On his first day in office earlier this month, on July 1, Superintendent An signed the operational plan for the 'Phone-Free School' as his first official approval.

The Ministry of Education is piloting the 'Smartphone-Free School' policy, which restricts smartphone use in schools. This pilot program will be carried out in schools that have selected 'Smartphone-Free Schools' as their task among the 200 "Schools for the Prevention of School Violence and Social Harmony Leading Schools."

Minseok Ahn, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education plans to support schools so that school members can autonomously decide to ban smartphones on campus. At the same time, the office aims to establish the RAS (Reading·Arts·Sports) policy, which promotes reading, arts, and sports education, in the school field.

Superintendent An stated, "President Lee Jae-myung has emphasized that in order to address youth smartphone use, it is essential to first build public consensus and consider the necessity of regulating social media," adding, "This has become a national challenge that society as a whole—not just schools—must work to resolve."

He continued, "Countries worldwide are already accelerating the introduction of institutional measures to protect young people. The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, taking the lead with the Phone-Free School policy, will work in cooperation with the Ministry of Education to expand this initiative to schools nationwide. We will also actively take the lead in promoting public debate and legislative discussions to establish policies regarding issues related to youth smartphone and social media use."

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