Lim Tae-hee, a candidate for Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education, has cited the "completion of Gyeonggi's future education" as his reason for seeking re-election, presenting college admission system reform, teacher rights protection, and education without blind spots as his core tasks.
In a joint interview with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education press corps held at his campaign office in Bojeong-dong, Suji-gu, Yongin on the 19th, Lim said, "The past four years were an intermediate stage of Gyeonggi's future education." He added, "Reforming the college admission system and rooting future education in school sites is the biggest reason I am once again challenging for the superintendent position."
Lim said he had heard both field assessments and criticism during his previous term. "A task that may appear small at the education office can be a very urgent issue at the school site," he said. He emphasized, "Going forward, I will be a superintendent who pays closer attention to issues felt on the ground."
He also addressed what he described as the excessive shrinkage of school education. Citing remarks from a local figure, he said, "I heard that picnics and sports days used to be cherished memories of school life, but there are concerns about what today's students will be left with." He continued, "Field experience learning is good, but more diverse experiences and growth opportunities are needed within school life itself."
On teacher rights protection, Lim emphasized the effectiveness of the response system established by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. "We operate a system in which the School Safety Mutual Aid Association and lawyers respond on behalf of teachers, so that teachers do not have to directly handle malicious complaints," he said. "It has high credibility on the ground." He added, "During my time as superintendent, I filed 14 complaints against individuals who continuously harassed teachers, and there were cases that resulted in actual prison sentences."
"We also operate the 1600-8787 teacher rights infringement direct hotline and the safety call system," he said. "However, there is a problem in that it takes a long time for good systems to reach the school site." He added, "I will work with principals' associations, the teachers' union, and the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations to increase field utilization."
Asked about differences with his rival candidate Ahn Min-suk, Lim said, "I have practiced politics that presents solutions rather than criticism." He continued, "Gyeonggi's future education is a direction recognized globally, but I believe the other side denies this and is trying to return to past methods."
He drew a clear line on the relationship between politics and education. "Korean politics has a strong tendency to expand and reproduce conflict," Lim said. "Since education must teach how to cooperate and communicate fairly even with people who think differently, it must be separated from politics."
Regarding the high school five-tier internal grading system and the increase in qualification examinations, he called for the abolition of relative grading. "The recent sharp increase in students taking qualification examinations is a signal that public education is not fulfilling its role," he said. "It is becoming an evaluation centered on ranking rather than evaluation for student growth."
Lim explained the need to expand descriptive and essay-based assessments and absolute grading, saying, "Korean and mathematics should also evaluate thinking and problem-solving skills, not simple ranking." He said, "The completion of future education must ultimately lead to college admission system reform."
On International Baccalaureate (IB) education, he said, "The IB itself is not the goal," explaining that "it is a process of learning a direction that expands the size of thinking and develops problem-solving skills." He added, "The advantages of the IB approach are also reflected in the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's descriptive and essay-based assessments."
He also presented special education and education blind spots as major tasks. "Students who fall between general and special education, such as those with ADHD, dyslexia, slow learners, and multicultural students, account for about 5% of the total," Lim said. "Institutional support and legal supplementation are needed for them."
As a measure to address private education costs, he proposed expanding shared schools and online schools. "The more difficult it is to access private education in a region, the higher the satisfaction with shared schools," he said. "Public education must provide the diverse activities students want."
Regarding concerns about teacher burden from the expansion of descriptive and essay-based assessments, he introduced an AI-based grading system. "The Hi-Learning AI grading system can grade 30 answers in about five minutes and also provides feedback," Lim said. "The final evaluation authority remains with the teacher."
On the program to strengthen high school seniors' capabilities for entering society, he said, "The aim is to meaningfully utilize the educational gap period after the College Scholastic Ability Test." He said, "It is an educational activity that supports students in developing the capabilities they want, such as driver's licenses, certifications, and foreign languages."
In the field of early childhood education, he emphasized strengthening the childcare function of public kindergartens. "From the perspective of dual-income parents, the lack of childcare at public kindergartens is a major issue," Lim said. "We must expand childcare and educational services to a level where parents can leave their children with peace of mind."
As achievements of the past four years, he cited the autonomy of school start times, the morning exercise program "Oasis," and the expansion of special education. "I feel rewarded that long-standing practices at school sites are gradually changing," he said, while also assessing that "there were limits to how provincial education office policies were delivered to the classroom."
"Gyeonggi's future education has already been recognized globally for its direction," he said. "There remains some distrust on the ground that 'this too shall pass,' but I will make clear that this is a direction we must take."
