Education authorities push for school field trips to North Korea

After the two Koreas agreed to push for measures aimed at ending hostilities and seeking denuclearization at the end of the inter-Korean summit on Friday, the Korean public is highly anticipating the possibility of a school-organized field trip to North Korea.

A field trip to North Korea offers an opportunity for the two Koreas to make meaningful exchanges in the education sector, the Gwangju Office of Education said Monday. 

Prior to the inter-Korean summit that was held Friday, education authorities had reportedly submitted formal requests regarding North Korea field trips to Cheong Wa Dae and the Unification Ministry.

To follow up with their requests, the Office of Education said a task force of seven experts in the field of unification and inter-Korean exchange was launched.

Education authorities also stressed that a visit to the North by the nation’s city and provincial superintendents comes as a priority in order to advocate inter-Korean education cooperation. 

The purpose of the visit is mainly to discuss what kind of educational exchanges are vital to the Koreas and lay out future plans in education, the Office of Education said.

In memory of the Gwangju Student Independence Movement against the imperial Japanese that falls on Nov. 3, officials said they plan to invite a North Korean delegation of students to the South to start off the full-scale exchanges in education.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)