[Diplomatic News] China’s New Korean School

The Korean International School in Beijing moved into its home in Wangjing, where many Koreans live, on Monday.

It has been eight years since the opening of the school, and 14 years since the start of diplomatic relations between Korea and China. The Korean International School, which first started out in September 1998, had to move four times because it did not have a building of its own.

500 people, including Principal Kim Tae-sun and President Oh Soo-jong of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in China, and President Baek Geum-sik of the Korean community in China, participated in the ceremony for the completion of the building.

300 parents also participated, proving that they too had been longing for a building for their children.

Toward the end of the event, the participants cried out, “Hooray, hooray, and hooray” on the master of the ceremonies’ cue: “For the improvement of our nation, and our Korean International School.” There were even a few who began to weep.

Their tears are not without reason. Circumstances at the Chinese school – the school that the Koreans had to share with its Chinese owners – often interrupted the classes. The Koreans were at times kept from playing their national anthem during the morning sessions at the school.

Principal Kim, who put all his effort into the construction of the new school building upon receiving the position, says, “I felt my heart break when the teachers at international schools from other countries asked, ‘why don’t you have your own building?’”

In December 2004, when North Korean refugees broke into the building, the Chinese school that shared the building with the Korean school closed the school without warning and classes at the Korean school could not continue.

Korean residents in China, Korean companies situated in China, and the Korean government all pitched in for the new school building. The women’s meeting at the Korean embassy in China sponsored a bazaar to raise $96,648. The funds snowballed to $3.5 million as Korean residents helped out and Korean businesses like Samsung China, SK China, Hyundai Motors, LG, and POSCO each donated from 100 thousand to 500 thousand dollars. Five million dollars from the Korean government followed.

There were still many obstacles. It took more than two years to find suitable land, and in June 2004, construction was temporarily suspended due to a lack of funds.

There were plenty of surprises. There was one Chinese who demanded 2.0 million yuan (approximately 240 million won), stating that he owned the gas supplying rights in this region. Many Koreans had their fingers crossed while the Beijing government refused to give permission without reason.

Concluding that the Chinese government was worried about North Korean refugees entering the school once again, the Koreans pledged to make the school walls six meters high. The construction permission process started immediately after the pledge was made.

The new five-story school building is 3,498 pyeong, and the land which it sits on is 3,636 pyeong. About 907 students, including 117 kindergarteners, 515 elementary school students, 160 middle school students, and 115 high school students are currently enrolled.

Korean residents are hoping that the Chinese government will increase the number of students allowed, but it says that the school will be hard to manage if there are more than 1,000 students. At the moment, there are no openings at the elementary school level.

The students are mostly children of employees of Korean companies and private businessmen.

Jong-Dae Ha orionha@donga.com