Tongyeong wins top government award for turning a closed school into a cat shelter

[Financial News] A project that turned a closed school in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, into a cat protection and adoption center has been selected as the government’s top example of closed-school reuse. Six other sites were also named outstanding cases, including an astronomy science museum in Ganghwa County, Incheon; Honeybee Land in Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province; and projects to build a special school and a library in Seoul.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Education said on the 8th that they had selected seven of the 62 entries submitted nationwide for the 2026 Competition for Best Practices in Closed-School Reuse. This is the first time the two ministries have jointly identified outstanding examples of closed-school reuse.
Tongyeong’s “Public Cat Protection and Adoption Center,” which received the Prime Minister’s Award, is a facility that uses the Yongho Branch of Hansan Elementary School, which closed in 2012. The project began with a proposal from residents, and the Tongyeong Office of Education, Tongyeong City and others worked together to open the center in 2023. It has cat shelters and treatment rooms, as well as a café. To date, it has sheltered 173 cats, and 72 have been adopted or rehomed. Cumulative attendance stands at 11,813.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety Minister’s Awards went to Ganghwa County in Incheon, Goesan County and Danyang County in North Chungcheong Province.
Ganghwa County converted Ganghu Elementary School, which closed in 2000, into an astronomy science museum with facilities including an astronomical observation room and a planetarium. The museum opened in May 2024—not last year—and has recorded a cumulative 52,218 visitors since then.
Goesan County developed the Hwagog Branch of Bogwang Elementary School into Honeybee Land, with facilities for honey production and processing, an exhibition hall and hands-on activities. As of August this year, it had 38,131 visitors, about 1.5 times the figure for the previous year.
Danyang County established a media art experience facility at the Geumgok Branch of Danyang Elementary School, incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) technologies. It attracted 1.8 billion won in private investment. Average annual attendance is 18,000, and revenue last year totaled 300 million won.
The recipients of the Ministry of Education Minister’s Awards were the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Imsil and Buan District Offices of Education in Jeonbuk State.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education used the site vacated by Gongjin Elementary School in Gangseo District after its relocation, along with the closed Gongjin Middle School, to establish Seojin School, a special school, and the Gayang Branch of Gangseo Library. It is also pursuing the creation of Eco School, an ecological and environmental education facility. Seojin School was established to address the long-distance commutes faced by students with disabilities. The Gayang Branch of Gangseo Library served 216,000 people in its first 158 days after opening.
The Imsil District Office of Education converted Gwanchon-dong Elementary School into Imsil Eco Nuri, an ecological education facility, while the Buan District Office of Education turned Daesu Elementary School into the Hanji Experience Center “Kongdak-Kongdak.” From June 2023 through September this year, 18,859 people took part in programs at the Buan Hanji Experience Center.
The selected projects will receive a total of 340 million won in special allocation tax and special grants, including 100 million won for the Prime Minister’s Award and 40 million won for each ministerial award.
The government plans to compile the outstanding cases into a collection and hold an event to share their results, with the aim of spreading them to local governments and offices of education nationwide.
[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter