29 Billion Won Wando Lifelong Education Center Faces Hurdles... Wando County's "Lukewarm Support" Under Scrutiny

Chair Choi Jeonghun: "Provide a site, not 1 billion won... Low fiscal self-reliance is no excuse"
Superintendent Yoon Yangseok: "We will actively seek a way forward with the county office and project committee"

With Wando County's budget support under scrutiny over the construction of the Wando Lifelong Education Center, a long-standing priority project for the Wando area of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, attention is focused on whether the Wando Office of Education can find a positive way forward despite sharp criticism from the city council.

At an administrative audit on November 10 by the Education Committee of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council, which covered nine education support offices in the Jeonnam region, Education Committee Chair Choi Jeonghun sharply criticized Wando Office of Education Superintendent Yoon Yangseok over the difficulties in securing a site and funding for the lifelong education center.

Education Committee Chair Choi Jeonghun questioned Wando Education Superintendent Yoon Yangseok during an administrative audit about securing a site and budget for the construction of a lifelong education center. Reporter Lee Jungkyung

The Wando Lifelong Education Center, with a total project cost of 29 billion won, is a pledge by Superintendent of Education Kim Dae-jung, prompted by strong demand from Wando residents, who have no lifelong education facilities such as libraries. In principle, Wando County, the local government, is expected to provide the site. However, citing difficulties in securing land, the county said it would provide only 1 billion won in cash as matching funds.

Superintendent Yoon Yangseok explained, "Land prices in Wando-eup are high, and most of the area consists of reclaimed land, so the county office also had difficulty securing a site. Given the county's circumstances, including its fiscal self-reliance ratio of just 7.8%, a budget investment worth 1 billion won has been decided."

However, Chair Choi firmly rejected this position. He said, "From the education office's perspective, receiving a site would be much better than simply receiving 1 billion won. If the county cannot provide a site, it should contribute an amount equivalent to the actual cost of purchasing one, rather than 1 billion won."

He dismissed the explanation, noting that "other county-level local governments, including Sinan County, also have fiscal self-reliance ratios below 10%," and strongly criticized the county, saying, "Based on the current agreement alone, Wando County does not appear committed to moving the project forward."

Despite the city council's strong criticism, Wando Office of Education Superintendent Yoon Yangseok signaled a firm determination to resolve the situation and a willingness to negotiate flexibly. While expressing deep understanding of the council's concerns, Superintendent Yoon maintained a positive stance, saying, "We will actively look for a site together with the county office and the project committee."

As practical steps, including signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wando County, remain to be completed, this is seen as a move to use the city council's strong support as leverage to secure more constructive cooperation from the local government. The Wando Office of Education is currently prioritizing Wando-eup, which offers excellent accessibility, as a candidate location and is continuing close behind-the-scenes discussions with the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education and Wando County.

Wrapping up his questions, Chair Choi also voiced his support, saying, "Wando has no educational or related facilities, so I ask our education office to work closely with the county to ensure the center is built as soon as possible." As the two sides remain at odds over securing a site, local residents' expectations are rising as they await the results of the Wando Office of Education's determination to see this long-awaited regional project through.

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