"Got Much Closer to English in a Short Time"... Haenam Hwawon Middle School Student Experiences Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village

On the 21st, just before the Lunar New Year holiday, students from Hwawon Middle School in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, visited the Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village for a special experience to get closer to English.

Principal Jo Byung-jun of Hwawon Middle School and 15 students departed at 5:30 a.m. and arrived at the English Village after driving 310 km for about four hours. The students participated in English experience programs linked to real-life situations such as airports, transportation, broadcasting stations, and department stores, gaining new experiences.

Students from Hwawon Middle School in Haenam, Jeonnam, participating in a traffic experience activity at Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village. Yeungjin College

Principal Jo Byung-jun, who led the students, said, “As we were considering whether our students, who are on winter vacation, could have a special experiential activity, we found that the Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village is a rare facility with well-established programs in Korea, so despite the distance, we decided to visit.”

From 9:30 a.m., the students were divided into two groups and toured six English experience classrooms closely related to daily life, including the airport, transportation experience, grocery store, movie theater, department store, and broadcasting station.

Go Min-jung (3rd year), who participated in the broadcasting station experience, said, “I took on the roles of video director, announcer, and sound director, and conducted news as if it were real, which was a great time to focus on English. Although it was just a one-day experience, I felt much closer to English in a short time.” She added, “Although the distance is far, if I have the chance, I would like to experience it for a longer time next time.”

Student Park Jung-eun (3rd year) said, “I was worried about participating today because I am not very good at English. However, as I joined the program with native English-speaking teachers who welcomed us warmly, I was able to participate comfortably and break through my vague fear and anxiety about English. This opportunity changed my thoughts and feelings about English and overseas, and I am returning with interest.”

At around 4 p.m., after finishing the experiential learning, the students took commemorative photos with bright expressions, as if concluding a short but meaningful day during their vacation.

Meanwhile, the Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village is a permanently operated complex facility for English experiential learning. It was established in 2007 by Yeungjin College under the Daegu City English Village development plan. In 2008, it expanded to become an English experiential learning facility for Gyeongsangbuk-do, establishing itself as a learning facility where local youth can experience English without going abroad.

Recently, the number of students visiting this English Village has been gradually increasing not only from Daegu and Gyeongbuk but also from the Chungcheong region, Gangwon, and Gyeongnam. In particular, starting with Kyushu Sangyo University in Japan in 2019 with 247 students, about 50 students from nine universities including Hiroshima University visited here in March last year after the COVID-19 endemic, sparking a wave of ‘K-English experience.’

Park Jae-hong, director (professor) of the Daegu Gyeongbuk English Village, said, “As a result of our English Village’s excellent educational environment, strong faculty, and dedicated efforts in education, students from beyond the region, including Gangwon, Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, Chungcheong, and Honam areas, are visiting. Also, a large group of Japanese university students is scheduled to experience it this March. We will do our best to provide substantial operation and highly satisfactory services as a realistic English experiential learning center for the students who visit here.”