The government will significantly expand educational infrastructure within mega zones to attract top talent from the Seoul metropolitan area who are reluctant to work in provincial regions due to their children's education. The key measures are to simplify the designation process for autonomous private high schools and autonomous public high schools, and to support the establishment of foreign schools that Korean nationals can also attend.
According to a mega zone act proposal obtained by The Seoul Economic Daily on the 21st, the ruling party and government are pushing a plan to transfer the prior consent rights for autonomous private high schools and the authority to designate autonomous public high schools from the Ministry of Education to local governments.
Currently, the Ministry of Education decides whether to designate autonomous private and autonomous public high schools, and there have been many cases where designations fell through due to stringent screening standards. In mega zones, however, the plan is to allow local governments to designate schools more autonomously by reflecting regional industrial demand and talent development plans.
Autonomous private high schools and autonomous public high schools can operate specialized curricula tailored to each school. As a result, they are expected to run educational programs linked to key mega zone industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and bio, allowing early cultivation of talent needed by regional industries. A plan to give preferential treatment to companies establishing workplace daycare centers is also under review.
Support for establishing foreign schools will also be expanded. The government is reviewing a plan to apply to mega zones the foreign school support system currently operating in research and development special zones. Foreign schools were established as a system to attract foreign professionals, but under related ordinances, a certain proportion of Korean students can also enroll. In fact, at Daejeon Foreign School, Korean nationals account for about 50% of its capacity of 1,500 students. If foreign schools are newly established in mega zones, the children of executives and employees of relocating companies will also be able to access an international educational environment.
Measures to strengthen the competitiveness of regional universities were also included. The ruling party and government plan to establish brand colleges and convergence research institutes at regional flagship national universities located in mega zones, and to provide subsidies to attract outstanding foreign research personnel.
Housing support will proceed in parallel. The ruling party and government are pushing a plan to include workers at companies relocating to mega zones as eligible for special supply of private apartments. The aim is to reduce the burden of settlement by providing a certain volume of privately developed housing supplied within mega zones to corporate workers through special supply. Special supply has a lower competition rate than general supply, giving relatively higher chances of winning.
"A significant number of top talent from the metropolitan area avoid working in the provinces because of their children's education or choose to live apart from their spouses on weekdays," a ruling bloc official said. "Establishing an educational and residential environment where the whole family can relocate and settle together is the key to the success of mega zones."
