Sejong Council Panel Cuts Entire Budget for Student Career Exploration Plan

A Sejong City Council committee has cut the entire budget for an ambitious career exploration program intended to serve all third-year middle school students in the city, raising doubts about whether the project can proceed as planned.

The council’s Education and Safety Committee removed 19.6 billion won from the Sejong education office’s second supplementary budget during its review at the council’s 109th regular session. The committee then approved a revised version of the spending plan without funding for the Global Career Exploration Group program.

The proposed program would give roughly 5,000 students opportunities to visit companies, research institutes and universities in Korea and overseas. It is a key campaign pledge of Sejong Superintendent of Education Kang Mi-ae and was designed as a citywide initiative for students approaching the transition to high school.

Committee members questioned both the efficiency and practical feasibility of the proposal. Their concerns included the scale of the opportunity cost, uncertainty over how the program would differ from existing activities, and the difficulty of securing enough airline seats and accommodation during peak travel periods.

The total project cost was set at 19.6 billion won, with the education office expected to cover an estimated 17.9 billion won. Participating students and the education authority would share the costs under the proposed structure. The size of the public contribution made the plan a significant item in the supplementary budget and a focus of council scrutiny.

The committee vote does not formally end the project. The council’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts is scheduled to review the spending plan on October 7 and could restore some or all of the funding. However, the composition of the council and the skepticism already expressed by lawmakers suggest that reinstatement may face substantial obstacles.

The dispute places the future of one of the superintendent’s signature policies at the center of Sejong’s education debate. Supporters of broad career exposure programs see institutional and workplace visits as a way to help students make informed academic choices. The committee’s decision, however, shows that lawmakers remain unconvinced that the current design justifies its cost or can be implemented at the proposed scale.

The next budget review will therefore determine whether the education office can proceed this year, must redesign the program, or postpone it while addressing concerns about cost, logistics and overlap with existing student activities.