Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) is a school board in Seoul, South Korea. It was established on October 2, 1956.

Korean name
Hangul	서울특별시교육청
Hanja	서울特別市敎育廳
Revised Romanization	Seoul Teukbyeolsi Gyoyukcheong
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏul T'ŭkpyŏlsi Kyoyukch'ŏng

History

The SMOE and the Gyeonggi-do Office of Education have suffered from a huge surge of teachers who voluntarily resigned in 2011 and beyond due to increased frequency of teachers' evaluation tests and difficulties of managing students.^[1]

Timeline

• October 2, 1956 – Seoul Board of Education inaugurated (2 bureaus, 7 divisions)^[2]
• May 16, 1961 – The Board of Education dissolved
• January 13, 1962 – Education Autonomy Policy abolished. Absorbed into Seoul Metropolitan Government as Bureau of Education
• January 1, 1964 – Education Autonomy Policy and Seoul Board of Education re-established with 2 bureaus and 7 divisions
• December 30, 1972 – District offices of education established (Dongbu, Seobu, Nambu, Bukbu). The position of Vice-Superintendent and two divisions (Physical Education and Administrative Finance) created (2 bureaus, 9 divisions)
• February 27, 1980 – Two district offices of education (Jungbu, Gangnam) established
• February 23, 1983 – Dongjak district office of education established
• September 3, 1987 – Two district offices of education (Gangdong, Gangseo) established
• May 26, 1991 – The Seoul Board of Education, consultative executive body, divided into two separate bodies
• September 2, 1991 – The 1st Seoul Metropolitan Board of Education commenced
• February 22, 1996 – Two district offices of education (Sungdong, Sungbuk) established
• July 1, 2009 – Office of Innovation and Welfare Support renamed to Office of Education Welfare
• January 1, 2015 – Organizational restructuring (1 Office, 3 Bureaus, 7 Divisions, 13 Divisions)

Location

The mailing address for SMOE is 2-77 Sinmunno 2-ga, Songwol-Gil 48, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.^[3]

Student activism

16-year-old female South Korean student, Kang Min-ji (강민진), was notable for publicizing a series of protests in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education for neglecting the sexual rights of South Korean teenagers.^[4]

See also

• Education in South Korea