Cho Hee-yeon's Fourth Venture…'Garden of Coexistence' Holds Founding Congress and Officially Launches

Former Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon has stepped onto his fourth starting line. Having lived as a sociologist, civic activist who founded Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, and administrator who led Seoul's education for a decade, he has now consolidated his three-pronged experience into a new organization devoted to "coexistence."

The educational civic organization 'Garden of Coexistence' (a nonprofit corporation) held its founding congress on the afternoon of the 2nd at the Grand Hall of Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall in Seoul and officially launched. The congress proceeded with the adoption of bylaws and approval of business plans and budgets, followed by the election of former Superintendent Cho as inaugural chairperson. An Young-shin, former policy advisor to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, was appointed inaugural executive director.

◇ Six Major Projects Transcending Educational Boundaries…From Rohingya Refugee Education to 'Social Inheritance'

The organization has unveiled six core projects. One axis includes policy and legislative activities such as operating forums for educational agendas and formulating alternative education policies for presidential and general elections; the other axis transcends the boundaries of education. These include the 'Global Citizen School,' a public education platform cultivating 'Global Citizen Expeditionary Forces,' 'Asia Without Borders' international solidarity linking Asian intellectuals and activists, and 'social inheritance' fund movements through which citizens return a portion of their assets to future generations beyond bloodline inheritance.

International education cooperation is already in execution phase. The organization is currently implementing a project to build a self-reliant learning ecosystem using smart devices and artificial intelligence (AI) for Rohingya refugee children and youth in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, and survey findings from an inspection team that visited the local refugee camp last month were shared at the congress. At a special lecture held prior to the congress, Lee Seong-hun, ambassador for human rights, peace, and democracy, delivered a keynote on 'global citizen education' in an era of multiple crises intertwining climate, ecology, AI, and security.

The organization began as 'Coexistence Sarangbang' at the end of 2024 and has been building its foundation over nearly two years. Former Superintendent Cho participated as co-operating committee chair at the launching ceremony of the 'Reading Nation' promotion committee where 800 people gathered in the National Assembly, and organized a joint statement from 325 Asian intellectuals and activists. On the 13th of last month, it launched the social inheritance fund with 123 founders. Former Superintendent Cho also donated approximately 25 million won in proceeds from the publication commemoration event of his March book "The Age of Extremism is Coming" to the organization.

The board of directors mirrors the three fields Chairperson Cho has traversed. The board includes figures from the field of education such as former Superintendents Ahn Jong-bok and Cho Young-sang and Elementary School Principal Yang Young-sik, academics including Hansin University Professor Song Joo-myung, Hansin University Professor Emeritus Jung Geon-hwa, and former Dongguk University Professor Park Soon-sung, as well as figures from civic society and youth sectors including Innovative Economy Chairperson Kim Jun-mook and Shift CEO Choi Hun-min. Patent attorney Oh Se-jung and attorney Choi Jeong-sik serve as auditors.

◇ From Lecture Hall to Streets, to Administration…and to 'Coexistence'

Chairperson Cho's first venture began on the lecture hall. For 24 years starting in 1990, he served as a professor in the Department of Sociology and NGO Graduate School at Sungkonghoe University, conducting research on Korean civil society. His second venture was onto the streets. In 1994, he led the founding of Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, putting his scholarship into practice. His third venture was into administration. From 2014 to 2024, he served as superintendent of education for Seoul, implementing educational policies such as expanding innovative schools. And now comes his fourth venture: the 'Garden of Coexistence.' As of the 1st, Chairperson Cho has also been reappointed as visiting professor at Sungkonghoe University, returning to the lecture hall where he began.

Current Seoul Superintendent of Education Jung Keun-shik attended the congress and delivered congratulatory remarks. The sitting superintendent directly congratulated the civic organization founded by his predecessor.

Participants pledged in the founding declaration: "We will move beyond competition toward cooperation, beyond division toward solidarity, beyond exclusion toward inclusion, and beyond catastrophe toward recovery and transformation."