From Taekkyeon to Korean Folk Music

Banh Thuy Quyen (16) is 5th grade class president at the Asia Community School in Munhyeon-dong, Nam-gu, Busan. Thuy Quyen, who came to Busan last year when her Vietnamese mother and Korean step-father married, studies Korean for two hours everyday.

Thuy Quyen graduated from middle school while in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, but because she knows little Korean, she learns Korean at the elementary-level Asia Community School. She studies Korean by writing Korean words in her notepad and writing their pronunciation in Vietnamese next to them.

Thuy Quyen says, “My dream is to become a Vietnamese simultaneous interpreter. I’ve been in Korea less than a year, but I’ve already become a Korean girl who loves sundae (Korean sausage) and eomuk (fish paste cakes).”

A Place of Learning for Children of Multi-cultural Families -

The Asia Community School is a privately established alternative school to help children of multi-cultural families who live in Busan, like Thuy Quyen, adjust to life in Korea. After first opening in September last year, the school now has 14 students from four different countries: Russia, Vietnam, Nepal, and China. Twelve Korean children who wish to study in an international environment also attend the school.

As an unauthorized school which rents two floors of a commercial building in Munhyeon-dong, Busan, the school has no playground or cafeteria. Even so, it is a welcome option for families created by international marriages to learn about Korean culture.

In addition to fundamental subjects such as Korean, science, social studies, math, English, Chinese, and the arts, Korean culture classes such as Taekkyeon, folk music, craftwork, and community conference are also provided. The school day begins at 9:00 a.m. just like regular schools.

For the convenience of the students, two school buses that cover different areas in Busan, including Haeundae-gu, Buk-gu, Saha-gu, and Dongnae-gu, are provided. Principal Lee Chul-ho (45) and teacher Park Hyo-seok (40) are the drivers.

Lim Ha-eun (10, fourth grade), whose mother is Russian, says, “In the school I went to before, my friends made fun of me, but here, I get along with everybody and I like coming to school.”

Faculty Made Up of Volunteers –

There are 20 teachers at the Asia Community School. Among them, 15 are volunteers.

Private art and music tutors, stay-at-home moms who have reading education certificates, and college students take turns teaching at the school. They all offered their services voluntarily because they sympathize with the cause of the school.

Kim Jeong-sook (50, director of private piano academy), music volunteer at the school, says, “To see the passion these children have toward learning is a moving experience.”

Cho Kyeong-sook (42), who teaches art therapy classes once a week, says, “Children of multi-cultural families have trouble learning Korean because usually their mothers are not Korean. However, they are a joy to teach because of their respect for their teachers and affection for each other.”

The five teachers are close to volunteers as well. Principal Lee has given up his salary and the other teachers are paid 300,000 won to 800,000 won per month.

This is because the school is operated on the donations of 140 Busan citizens, who pay 1,000 to 100,000 won every month, and financial aid from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources. This amounts to only 47 million won per year; students pay only 30,000 won per month for lunch and no tuition.

toto@donga.com