Educator and administrator who served as Seoul Superintendent of Education (16th and 17th terms)
| Life | 1934 ~ 2021 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 곡부 공씨 |
Gong Jeong-taek (孔貞澤, 1934-2021) was a teacher and education administrator from Namwon, North Jeolla, who served as Seoul Superintendent of Education in the 16th and 17th terms. Wikipedia's Gokbu Gong entry lists him as a representative clan member. He graduated in economics from Seoul National University in 1957 and completed a secondary-school administration course at Korea University's graduate school of education. Beginning as a teacher at Deoksu Commercial High School, he served as vice principal, principal, head of the Gangdong education office and director of secondary education at the Seoul education office.
He was president of Namseoul University from 1998 to 2002 and, after serving on the Seoul education committee, became the 16th Superintendent in August 2004. In July 2008 he won the first directly elected Seoul superintendent election and became the 17th. Policies on elementary grading and standardised assessments sparked public controversy, and plans for an international middle school and more special-purpose high schools divided opinion. He received the Hwangjo order of service merit in August 2002 among other honours.
However, because of election-law violations in the 2008 campaign, a fine of 1.5 million won that voided the election was finalised by the Supreme Court in October 2009 and he lost the post. He was then arrested on charges of taking 146 million won from Seoul education office officials in return for promotion favours, and in February 2011 a sentence of four years, a 100 million won fine and a 146 million won forfeiture was finalised. These are public court facts; this site does not pass judgement on him. He died on 27 October 2021.
Gong Jeong-taek has been presented as a self-made figure who rose from teaching to the top of educational administration, yet evaluations of him are sharply divided because of verdicts late in his tenure. This site gives only the public record and finalised rulings and leaves judgement to the reader.
Starting as a teacher he served as vice principal, principal, education-office head and bureau director in Seoul.
He took office as the 16th Superintendent in 2004 and won Seoul's first direct election in 2008 as the 17th.
His expansion of standardised assessment, the new international middle school and more special-purpose high schools divided opinion.
A sentence voiding his election was finalised in 2009 and in 2011 a four-year sentence for bribery, among other penalties. He died on 27 October 2021. He is introduced with clan member Gong Ro-myung.
The location of his grave was not confirmed here.