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

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]