261 NGOs and 30,000 citizens rally for a refugee school in Seoul

“Must children who lived suppressed in North Korea and in China now shrink and live confined even here?”
On the morning of the 7th, in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Jung-gu, Seoul. Cho Myung-suk, principal of Yeomyung School, an alternative school for North Korean defector adolescents, spoke these words while shedding tears. After wandering for 22 years, Yeomyung School recently attempted to establish a new home on part of the former Yeomgang Elementary School site in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, but faced strong opposition from some residents. At a residents’ briefing held 20 days ago, Principal Cho even knelt before opposing residents to plead for the school’s construction.
However, on that day, supporters of Yeomyung School stood alongside Principal Cho. The “Civil Society Joint Action to Support the Construction of Yeomyung School on the Current Site” includes 261 organizations from the education, civil society, and religious sectors. They held a press conference urging the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Council to promptly proceed with the school’s construction. Song In-soo, representative of Education Spring and leader of the joint action, said he decided to support the school after seeing Principal Cho kneel at the residents’ briefing. “We could not leave Yeomyung School alone to overcome this difficulty,” Song said. “If anyone should kneel for the children, it should be our society.”
Citizen participation also continued. As of the 7th, 31,078 people had signed a petition supporting the school’s construction, launched by the joint action on the 28th of last month. One citizen wrote, “Children who could not live in North Korea and came to South Korea should not wander without a place to go here. Please create a space where they can study without worry.” Other messages poured in, including, “School is a crucial thread of hope for children who have crossed death,” and “I hope the children are not hurt. I want them to know there are many people and organizations supporting them.”
Yeomyung School graduates also attended the press conference. Eom Esder, 43, who graduated from Yeomyung School in 2011, said, “When I first came to South Korea, I struggled with foreign words and even speaking and writing, but I could study at Yeomyung School.” Eom now serves as the representative of UniSeed, a volunteer group for North Korean defector youth. She added, “Graduates have become nurses, social workers, and pastors, caring for their neighbors and families in their respective roles. I hope the younger students are also given opportunities to prepare for tomorrow.” The joint action plans to deliver the citizen petition to the Seoul Metropolitan Council and demand prompt action for the school’s construction.
Currently, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and Yeomyung School are finalizing preliminary work for the school building. They aim to start the main architectural design in early next year and complete construction by 2029. A source from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, “Although resident consent is not required, we will continue to explain the necessity of the school’s construction and the absence of procedural flaws to some opposing residents.”