Education Superintendent An Minseok Visits Hanam and Gwangju to Discuss Education Issues... Support Office Establishment, AI Policy

Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Minseok held town hall meetings in Hanam and Gwangju to discuss local education issues, including separating and establishing an education support office, easing overcrowded classes, improving school facilities, and students' use of artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing on feedback from the community, he also outlined the direction for advancing key initiatives, including establishing the Hanam Education Support Office and preventing students from becoming overly reliant on AI.

On the morning of October 15 in Hanam and that afternoon in Gwangju, Superintendent An held town hall meetings as part of his "Education Superintendent's Office on the Road" initiative, engaging with parents, school principals, and local stakeholders.

At the Hanam town hall meeting, Superintendent An first addressed plans to establish the Hanam Education Support Office. "With the active cooperation of Hanam City, we expect it to be the first among the province's integrated education support offices to be separated and established," he said. "We will make preparations with the goal of establishing the Hanam Education Support Office in September 2027."

About 200 people attended the meeting, including Hanam Mayor Lee Hyunjae, Hanam City Council Chair Jeong Byeong-yong, and Gyeonggi Provincial Council Education and Administrative Committee member Oh Ji-hoon. Attendees raised questions and shared their views on local education issues, including separating and establishing the Hanam Education Support Office, opening school facilities to the public, making use of unused classrooms, and easing overcrowded classes.

At the Gwangju town hall meeting that afternoon, Superintendent An explained the policy direction for addressing students' use of AI, focusing on reducing excessive reliance on smartphones and AI and fostering independent thinking skills.

Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Ahn Minseok (front row, second from right) takes part in an Oasis physical activity session at Gamil Elementary School in Hanam on the morning of the 15th, joined by Hanam Mayor Lee Hyunjae, Gwangju-Hanam Office of Education Superintendent Sim Sangung, the school principal, parents and others. Provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.

"Following our Phone-Free policy, we are preparing measures for next year to curb students' indiscriminate use of AI," he said. "We will help students develop the ability to think and make decisions for themselves without becoming overly reliant on smartphones and AI."

In September 2026, Superintendent An held a press conference at the National Assembly and called for "three major reforms to youth social media": limiting the time young people spend on social media, blocking messages from strangers, and strengthening platform operators' age-verification requirements and accountability.

Sim Sangung, superintendent of the Gwangju-Hanam Education Support Office, outlined the progress and future plans for local initiatives, including budget support for structural modifications to open school facilities to the public, reducing overcrowded classes, and providing spaces for parent networks and volunteer groups.

Before the town hall meetings that day, Superintendent An visited Gamil Elementary School and joined about 100 students in the "Oasis" activity ("Starting the day with sports again today"). He then visited Gamil Middle School, where he greeted students arriving for school.

Meanwhile, Superintendent An will visit Guri and Namyangju on October 19 to continue meeting with parents in the community.

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