Yeomyoung School, an alternative school for North Korean defector youth that had wandered from place to place for 22 years, recently attempted to establish a new home at the former Yeomgang Elementary School in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. However, upon hearing the news of the school’s relocation, residents posted posters opposing the school’s construction throughout the surrounding area and apartment complexes. Yeomyoung School held an explanatory meeting for residents on September 17, but some residents strongly protested.
However, among the residents this newspaper met on the 21st, several quietly supported Yeomyoung School. Han Song-i, 49, a homemaker living in Yeomchang-dong, Gangseo-gu, was one of them.
Han heard at a beauty salon on the morning of the 17th that “students from Yeomyoung School would come for a vocational experience in the afternoon.” She immediately headed to an ice cream shop next to the salon. She paid 80,000 Korean won at the register but left the shop without any ice cream. She had paid in advance for 19 students from Yeomyoung School who would visit the salon a few hours later. Han said, “I felt sorry for the students after hearing that some residents opposed the school’s construction. I wanted to let the children know that there are neighbors who welcome them.”
Han reportedly informed only the salon owner about her advance payment and left before the students arrived. The salon owner did not accept customers that afternoon and let the students use the space for an hour. The 19 Yeomyoung School students experienced working as beauticians by handling beauty tools. The salon owner did not charge the students separately for the vocational experience that day.
Recently, next to a poster encouraging residents to attend an explanatory meeting opposing the school’s construction, someone attached a paper reading “Support Yeomyoung School!” Another resident also left a handwritten note in small letters saying, “We support you.”
Yeomyoung School students, who had to watch the residents’ opposition with heavy hearts, gained strength from the support of some residents. Hwang Hee-geon, the vice principal of Yeomyoung School, said, “I’ve always told the children, ‘There are many neighbors who love and support you,’ but they might have found it hard to believe. This time, the children seem to have directly felt the warmth of their neighbors.” The students also encouraged one another, saying, “There are people who support us.”
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