Yeomyeong School, an alternative school for North Korean defectors, said in an educational performance analysis report published on the 27th to mark its 20th anniversary, “Most of the students were born in China, and there is a need to supplement Korean language education and unification education.”
According to the report, 88% of this year’s Yeomyung School students (91 students) were born in China, and 81% had experience attending Chinese schools. The rate of North Korean school experience was only 7%. On the other hand, a survey of 134 graduates found that 75% were born in North Korea and 66% attended school in North Korea.
Photo = Reporter Nam Jeong-tak
The rapid increase in the number of Chinese-born students is due to the fact that many North Korean defectors who recently entered the country escaped from North Korea and stayed in China before the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) pandemic.
Yeomyung School explained that many of these children grew up thinking their mothers were Chinese, often experiencing confusion about their identity, are not familiar with the Korean language, and have low awareness of unification.
Additionally, because they were not North Korean defectors, government support for education was relatively lacking. The day before, the National Assembly passed an amendment to the ‘Act on Protection and Settlement Support of North Korean Defectors’, providing a legal basis for providing education support to children born in third countries to North Korean defectors.
Yeomyung School, established in 2004, has produced more than 400 graduates over 20 years. By obtaining academic approval from the Office of Education, we have grown to a level where we can operate integrated middle and high school courses with 100 students.
Vice Minister of Unification Kim Soo-kyung said in a congratulatory speech at the 20th anniversary ceremony held on this day, “It will be a stepping stone for free and peaceful unification for North Korean defectors, who are called ‘unification that came first,’ and their families to settle stably in our society and live happily together.” .
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye keep@segye.com
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Source: www.segye.com
