Chuncheon Selected as Gangwon's Only "Type 2 Education Innovation Leading Region"

“Eduforest Chuncheon 2.0” Selected
Approximately 1.9 Billion Won in Special Grants Next Year
Reducing Education Gaps and Strengthening Links with Universities and Industry
130 Regions Applied Nationwide; 43 Designated

Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province (Mayor Yuk Donghan), has been selected by the Ministry of Education as a 2027 Education Innovation Leading Region. Starting next year, the city will fully launch initiatives to narrow education gaps between the old downtown and rural towns and townships, and to connect school education with local universities and industries.

A view of Chuncheon City Hall.

Chuncheon City announced on November 3 that “Eduforest Chuncheon 2.0,” jointly submitted with the Chuncheon Office of Education, had been selected for Type 2 of the Education Innovation Leading Region program. A total of 41 local governments nationwide applied for Type 2, which targets cities and counties outside the Seoul metropolitan area, and 11 were designated. Chuncheon is the only selected city in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.

Selected regions will receive up to 2 billion won in special grants annually. Chuncheon City is scheduled to receive approximately 1.9 billion won next year. The project will run for three years, with the possibility of receiving two additional years of support following a phased evaluation. The city will also contribute local funds and plans to finalize its operating plan after consulting experts through December 2026.

The project centers on four strategies and 12 initiatives under the banner “Kiwoobom Chuncheon.”

First, it will improve educational conditions at schools in the old downtown and rural towns and townships. The city will expand its “old downtown schools” program to support specialized curricula in English, reading, and artificial intelligence. Small schools in rural towns and townships will receive joint curricula and on-site digital and artificial intelligence education, and the city also plans to operate hub schools for students from immigrant backgrounds.

Education and care outside school will also be expanded. The city will extend “Uri Bomnae Dongdong,” a community-based education and care network, to rural towns and townships, and connect it with express school buses, free weekend bus rides for students, university student tutoring, and one-on-one online English lessons with native speakers. The goal is to increase by 15 percentage points, during the project period, the proportion of the school-age population able to reach a school, library, or childcare facility within 15 minutes.

Education linked to universities and industry will also be strengthened. Curricula connecting vocational high schools, colleges, and local industries will be revamped, and programs such as a generative artificial intelligence competition and a hands-on elementary school biology camp will be held. Humanities education through “Great Books,” in which students read and discuss classic works, will continue.

The city plans to raise the share of local university admissions slots allocated to local students from 12.9% to 15%, and the rate at which vocational high school graduates find jobs within the city from 6% to 10%. The aim is to ensure that education leads to local employment and settlement.

Since being designated a pilot Education Special Zone in 2024, Chuncheon City has pursued “Eduforest Chuncheon,” with participation from schools, universities, and the local community. Through initiatives including “Uri Bomnae Dongdong,” reading and discussion education, specialized courses linked to universities, and the development of autonomous public high schools and contract-based specialized high schools, the city received an A, the highest grade, in the performance evaluation of Education Special Zone operations.

On July 31, 2026, the city signed a business agreement to establish a Regional Education Innovation Council with the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education, the Chuncheon Office of Education, and six local universities. Going forward, it plans to link out-of-school education programs through organizations such as the Chuncheon Talent Development Scholarship Foundation, and to consult with the Office of Education on measures including open recruitment for education directors and vocational high school principals, designation of autonomous schools, and operation of a wide-area school district.

Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Donghan said, “Our tireless efforts to build the nation’s most advanced education system have driven this designation. We will make Chuncheon a city people come to for its education and a place where future generations can stay with hope and confidence.”

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