Education, Human, Social Structure
Kim Jung-in
Gongjin Elementary School in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, closed due to a sharp drop in enrollment. This is because students have been stigmatized over a poor neighborhood. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has been pushing to establish a special school, otherwise known as Seojin School, at the site since 2013, but construction has not been able to begin for the past five years. The parents of disabled children are desperate to establish a special school, but they have been repeatedly blocked by opposition from residents and local politicians who want to bring in the Korean Medicine Hospital. The two sides have been clashing for several years. The two debates that took place in the second half of 2017 ended up with no results, with both parties on completely different sides of the fence. The so-called ¡°kneeling video" drew public attention and support from people of all social standings, but the fundamental reality of the situation did not change. Construction is still slow, and the establishment of special schools in other areas are facing fierce opposition as well. The parents of disabled children in Gangseo have waited for already 16 years. Parents of disabled children across the nation face the same predicament. This is the reason why parents must hang on with even greater desperation and intensity. Despite all the trials and tribulations, can Seojin School successfully be opened in March of 2019?
Kim Jung-in
Kim Jung-in was born in 1982 and graduated from School of film, TV, Multimedia, Korea National University of Arts. He was selected as the winner of Short film competition in the 6th Seoul Christianity Film Festival in 2008. His recent film Heavenly Salmon was invited to Seoul Independent Documentary Festival, Women¡¯s Film Festival in Incheon and 7th Seoul Christianity Film Festival. Currently, he works in Advocacy of World Vision. Heavenly Salmon (2009) Çϴÿ¡ °è½Å (2008)Ä«¹Ù³ÝÀ» ã¾Æ¼ (2007)