Osan Mayor Kwak Sang-wook Presents Vision at '2019 Lifelong Learning City Future Forum'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Osan City presented its vision during the case study presentation session at the '2019 Lifelong Learning City Future Forum' held on the 12th at Gwanghwamun Convention Center in Seoul.

The forum was hosted by the National Council of Lifelong Learning Cities and co-organized by the Korea Lifelong Education Promotion Foundation's Lifelong Learning Times, Korea Federation of Lifelong Education, Korea Lifelong Education Society, Osan City, and four other cities.

The forum, held under the theme 'Next Page of Learning Cities in the Era of the Fifth Human Technology Revolution,' was attended by approximately 300 participants including Moon Seok-jin, chairman of the National Council of Lifelong Learning Cities; Choi Woon-sil, CEO of the Korea Lifelong Education Promotion Foundation; Yoon Yeo-gak, director of the National Institute for Lifelong Education; Osan Mayor Kwak Sang-wook; and mayors, county commissioners, superintendents of education, and lifelong education experts from learning cities nationwide.

Mayor Kwak presented a case study of the learning city at a gala concert under the theme 'Future Learning Design: Future Lifelong Learning City of Convergence and Creation, Adding Novelty and Diversity,' sharing Osan's educational city policy cases pursued over the past 10 years and presenting a vision for future learning cities.

"Over the past 10 years, Osan City has established 'educational city' as its city brand and laid the groundwork for sustainable education," Mayor Kwak said. "Through a community revolution, we have created an educational city of Osan where the entire village is a school," he added.

He then introduced Osan's lifelong learning model created through cooperation among various institutions and citizens, including 'Citizen Participation Schools' that transcend school boundaries, 'Stepping Stone Classrooms' that transcend building boundaries, 'Education Portal Oneul-e' that links technology revolution to learning, 'Together Care Centers' that organize and link data, and over 2,000 'activists' who actively participate and work in the community.

He then presented future visions of Osan, including the development of creative talent through the creation of Tag Campus in connection with the Maker Education Center, and artistic education where music, arts, and humanities converge through Sori-ul Library, the nation's first musical instrument library, working with schools to present cases of growth into emotionally rich citizens who care for and communicate with each other.

Finally, Mayor Kwak Sang-wook emphasized, "To grow into citizens who can recognize 'common values' that transcend technology and make 'value-based choices,' families, schools, local communities, and the nation must work together."