Global Economic Times

“The Answer Lies in the Field”... Incheon Superintendent Do Seong-hun Bets on ‘Educational Innovation’ for 2026: KO YONG-CHUL Reporter / Updated : 2026-01-07 19:14:32

Presents three core pillars: strengthening school-site support, full-scale AI education, and expanding local connectivity Determined to directly confront pending issues, including improving special education conditions and expanding teacher quotas

As the new year of 2026 begins, the Incheon educational community has heralded a massive transformation centered on two axes: "field-oriented" and "future technology." Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Do Seong-hun presented a future blueprint for Incheon education through a New Year's press conference on the 7th, expressing a strong determination to ensure that educational innovation does not remain a mere slogan but leads to tangible results experienced directly at the school site.

▣ Restoring the Essence of Education… “Creating an Environment Focused on Instruction and Guidance”
The first core task for Incheon education in 2026 presented by Superintendent Do is the "drastic strengthening of school-site support." This is a declaration to redefine the administrative function of the Office of Education from one of "reigning" to one of "support." Superintendent Do stated, “While the educational environment is changing rapidly, the daily lives of children still begin and are completed at school,” making it clear that the starting point of policy must lie in the voices of those in the field.

To this end, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education has established the "2nd Phase of 100 Tasks for School-Site Support" and the "2nd Phase of 33 Tasks for Improving Special Education Conditions." Specifically, by identifying tasks to improve educational conditions across kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools—including special education—the plan aims to help schools focus on their essential roles of instruction, counseling, and student guidance, freeing them from administrative burdens. The role of the "Incheon School Support Group," which has already been cited as a national model case with the highest satisfaction rating, is expected to expand further this year.

▣ Full-Scale ‘Incheon-Style AI Education’… Restoring ‘Humanity’ Beyond Technology
The second core pillar is "fostering future talent" capable of actively responding to technological civilization. Mentioning the era of hyper-artificial intelligence where humans, nature, and AI coexist, Superintendent Do proposed an "Incheon-style AI education" model that moves beyond simple technology-oriented coding education.

It is Superintendent Do’s philosophy that “to avoid losing initiative to mechanical civilization, critical literacy and an active learning attitude are essential.” To achieve this, the "Read-Walk-Write (RWW)" campaign, Incheon education's unique brand, will be integrated with AI education. The goal is to nurture 30,000 AI creative convergence talents equipped with humanity and problem-solving skills through the process of thinking, questioning, and acting for themselves. In particular, the RWW policy is expected to gain further momentum this year, as it is already recognized as a global-level educational model, with ongoing joint research with Google and requests for cooperation from overseas countries.

▣ Expanding Locally Linked Education… “All of Incheon as a Learning Playground for Children”
The third core direction is the establishment of an educational ecosystem closely linked with the local community. Superintendent Do suggested expanding the boundaries of education, stating, “School education can no longer stay within the walls.” The logic is that education becomes a reality that aligns with students' lives only when it is organically connected with local culture, industry, universities, and public institutions.

The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education plans to further expand local customized education models this year and reorganize the system so that learning outside of school can be directly linked to career paths. The plan is to elevate the social role of public education by completing a virtuous cycle where students "learn and grow in Incheon to become global citizens."

▣ Resolving Pending Issues and Reorganizing the Administrative System… Confronting Special Education and Teacher Supply Issues
The conference also included in-depth discussions on the painful points and realistic challenges facing Incheon education. Superintendent Do expressed deep condolences and apologies regarding the death of a special education teacher that occurred last year and stated that 34 detailed tasks to improve special education conditions are being strongly promoted. Administrative power is being concentrated on increasing the ratio of regular special education teachers, currently at 81%, and establishing a policy foundation to replace temporary teachers with regular staff.

Furthermore, he explained that unlike other cities experiencing a decrease in the school-age population, Incheon’s population continues to inflow, and thus he is strongly requesting the government to establish new schools and expand teacher quotas. He is continuing active administrative moves, such as urging the government to stop the teacher reduction policy to resolve the teacher shortage caused by the full-scale implementation of the High School Credit System.

Reorganization for administrative efficiency is also picking up speed. In line with the reorganization of Incheon’s administrative districts, the "Educational Support Office Opening Promotion Team" will be launched in March to establish the Yeongjong and Geomdan Support Offices. In particular, the office aims for educational administration without marginalized areas, such as considering the installation of customized support organizations for the five West Sea islands.

▣ Globalization of ‘Read-Walk-Write’ and Sustainable Future Values
The ‘Read-Walk-Write’ policy, which embodies the identity of Incheon education, is now heading beyond Korea to the world. Superintendent Do emphasized that RWW is not just a campaign but active thinking training to protect humanity in the AI era, noting that joint research with Google is underway and requests for cooperation are flooding in from countries like Mongolia and Colombia.

Additionally, the office is highly regarded for strengthening ecological peace education in response to the climate crisis and completing the "ESG Management Evaluation Report" for the first time among national offices of education to melt sustainable values required by future society into the curriculum.

▣ Opening the Future of Incheon Education with the Spirit of ‘Jon-I-Gu-Dong’
Superintendent Do concluded the conference by emphasizing the attitude of "Jon-I-Gu-Dong" (尊異求同), which means respecting each other's differences while seeking common ground for the goal of educational innovation. He urged cooperation from the community, saying, “When education changes, the future of children changes, and when the future of children changes, the tomorrow of us all becomes different.”

Meanwhile, regarding whether he will challenge for a third term, Superintendent Do maintained a cautious stance, saying, "Resolving pending issues is the priority for now." However, the educational community predicts that his future course will become clearer starting from the book launch scheduled for February 10. Attention is focused on what innovative fruits the three waves of change proposed by the "Do Seong-hun Vessel" of Incheon education will bear in actual school sites in 2026.