"Friend, How About 'Rural Homestay' in Jeonbuk?"

Jeonbuk Office of Education to Hold Briefing Session in Seoul on the 2nd
Aiming to Recruit 200 Participants from 12 Cities and Counties in the Province This Year

The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education (Superintendent Seo Geoseok) is making every effort to recruit rural exchange students for the 2025 academic year.

On the 2nd, Jeonbuk Office of Education announced on the 3rd that it held the '2025 Jeonbuk Rural Exchange Student Briefing Session' for students and parents in the Seoul area at the Jeonbuk Returning-to-Farming and Returning-to-Village Comprehensive Support Center Seoul Office. The briefing session was held based on the judgment that recruiting rural exchange students from the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, is the key to the success of rural exchange, which is a core project to save small schools.

Jeonbuk Office of Education and Jeonbuk Province held the "2025 Academic Year Jeonbuk Rural Study Abroad Information Session" for students and parents in the Seoul area on the 2nd at the Jeonbuk Return-to-Farming and Rural Support Center Seoul Office.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Office of Education]

The briefing session, co-hosted by the Jeonbuk Office of Education and the Jeonbuk Rural and Fishing Village Comprehensive Support Center, was attended by about 110 parents and students from Seoul. It provided detailed explanations about all aspects of rural exchange, including the operation of rural exchange, distinctive programs by school, information on rural exchange residence facilities, and how to apply for rural exchange. Reflecting the preference of metropolitan area parents for family-stay type residential conditions, the Jeonbuk Office of Education and Jeonbuk Province promised to strengthen exchanges and cooperation to discover rural exchange residence facilities and improve residential conditions in the future.

Currently, rural exchange is being operated in 23 schools across 10 cities and counties in Jeonbuk. The number of rural exchange students has steadily increased from 27 in the second half of 2022 to 84 last year and 160 this year.

The Jeonbuk Office of Education plans to recruit rural exchange students for the 2025 academic year starting in December. The goal is to recruit 200 students who will attend about 30 schools in 12 cities and counties within the province.

Im Gyeongjin, head of the Education Cooperation Division at the Jeonbuk Office of Education, said, "This briefing session was prepared to inform students and parents who wish to participate in rural exchange about the attractions of Jeonbuk rural exchange." He added, "We will do our best to help rural exchange provide students with opportunities to experience learning and living in an environment different from the city, fostering creativity and social skills."