Yeomyung School principal Cho Myeong-sook kneels and appeals to residents during an information session at the school in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Sept. 17, in a photo provided by a reader.YONHAP
Plans for a new building for an alternative school for children who fled North Korea or the children of North Korean defectors — known as the Yeomyung School — could be delayed as fierce neighborhood opposition mounts.
For nearly two decades after its founding in 2004, Yeomyung School had moved between Gwanak District, southern Seoul, and Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul. The school eventually relocated to a closed elementary school in Gangseo District, western Seoul, in 2023 and has operated there since. It planned to build a new facility on the former elementary school’s playground.
“Please embrace the children,” school principal Cho Myeong-sook pleaded through tears as she dropped to her knees at a community briefing Thursday, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
“Take [the defectors’] kids and leave,” the residents fired back at Cho.
Angry residents waved signs accusing the Seoul education office of breaking its promise that Yeomyung School would use the site only temporarily.
Other placards bearing phrases such as “No Yeomyung School without residents’ consent” and “Restore plans for the young children's facility right now” were also visible during the 90-minute-long meeting, which was attended by some 100 residents and officials.
Residents opposing the school say the property was originally earmarked for early childhood education facilities, including an institute run by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and a hands-on learning center for young children.
If the Seoul Metropolitan Council does not approve the construction plan later this year, construction of Yeomyung School, currently scheduled for next year, could be delayed, according to an official from the city education office.
Officials and representatives pose for a photo after a signing ceremony to build a new building for Yeomyung School — an alternative school dedicated to educating North Korean defector youth and children from North Korean backgrounds — in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on July 24.YONHAP
The school has operated at its current location, the former Yeomgang Elementary School building, since March 2023.
With Yeomyung School’s temporary use of the site due to end next February, a memorandum of understanding was signed in July to build a permanent school facility.
Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor Group is set to contribute 6 billion won ($4.3 million) of the total 16 billion won project cost. The Seoul Education Office promised to provide the site of the now-closed Yeomgang Elementary School, while the Unification Ministry pledged administrative and financial support.
“We plan to spend all 10 billion won in donations that we have raised over the past 20 years on constructing the building and then donate the school to the education office,” said Cho. “The plan was to build a four-story structure and expand the space from the original design so that both the institute [for early-childhood education] and the school could be housed there.”
The Seoul education office is weighing changes to the project in response to residents’ concerns about traffic, noise and pedestrian access, as well as requests for community facilities. It is also planning smaller meetings to hear directly from residents.
The scene echoed another bitter school dispute in Gangseo District in 2017, when parents of children with disabilities knelt before residents and pleaded for support for a special education school on the site once occupied by Gongjin Elementary School.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
