Seungbong Island residents demand reopening of closed elementary school

Residents of Seungbong Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, are demanding the reopening of Seungbong Branch School after a child eligible for elementary school enrollment appeared this year. The school has been closed since 2019 due to a lack of students.

The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education has declined to reopen the school, citing difficulties in providing a normal educational environment—such as social interaction through peer relationships—and uncertainty regarding the long-term sustainability of operations with only one student. The office maintains that reopening requires a larger number of students to be secured.

Local residents and Ongjin County officials argue that these standardized criteria fail to account for the unique geographic realities of island communities. They contend that refusing to reopen the school despite the presence of a student forces families to leave the island, creating a vicious cycle of population decline. Residents emphasize that the school is a vital infrastructure for community settlement and that the current policy contradicts national efforts to combat regional extinction.