Haenam County Takes First Step to Attract International School... Signs MOU in the US

Discussion on International School Collaboration with RCS in California, USA

Haenam County, Jeollanam-do (Governor Myung Hyun-gwan) announced on the 26th that it visited Redlands Christian School (RCS) in California, USA, on the 25th local time and signed a memorandum of understanding to attract an international school to Solaseado Corporate City.

This memorandum of understanding was attended by Haenam County Governor Myung Hyun-gwan, Haenam County Council Chairman Lee Seong-ok, Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Young-rok, RCS Chairman Todd Mattson, BS Industry Vice Chairman Ko Hyung-kwon, as well as officials from Haenam County, Jeollanam-do, and BS Industry.

Through this agreement, Haenam County, Jeollanam-do, the RCS school corporation, and the business entities agreed to engage in practical discussions and cooperate on securing the feasibility of establishing an international school and attracting the necessary investments through multifaceted collaboration. After the signing, a local inspection was conducted, including a campus tour to review educational facilities.

(From left) Myeong Hyungwan, Haenam County Governor; Kim Youngrok, Jeonnam Province Governor; Todd Mattson, Chairman; Ko Hyungkwon, Vice Chairman of BS Industry, are signing a business agreement in the United States to attract an international school and posing for a commemorative photo. Provided by Haenam County

Redlands Christian School (RCS) is located in Redlands, California, USA, and is a school with over 100 years of history and tradition since its establishment in 1921. It offers kindergarten through high school courses (K-12 grade) and has over 1,420 students enrolled. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which certifies the academic standards of schools and universities in the western United States, recognizing RCS for its high-quality educational programs.

Last year, the amendment of the Special Act on Corporate City Development made it possible to establish elementary and secondary international schools within corporate cities. In response, Haenam County recognized the necessity of establishing an international school to improve the educational environment and ensure stable living conditions for the residents of the corporate city, and actively cooperated with Jeollanam-do and business entities, leading to the signing of this memorandum of understanding during the visit to the US school.

Solaseado Corporate City, which is being developed as a self-sustaining city with a population of 36,600, is experiencing a breakthrough in attracting companies and increasing population through the promotion of large-scale government projects and designation as a special opportunity zone focused on renewable energy and data centers.

To vitalize the corporate city, the county plans to actively attract educational institutions while seeking ways to minimize the county's financial investment burden and to continuously build consensus among local residents regarding the establishment of the international school.

Governor Myung Hyun-gwan stated, "Solaseado Corporate City is being developed as a dream city with global competitiveness, and as the current projects gain momentum, the need for educational institutions is expected to grow. We will carefully consider a local talent selection quota system for the international school, ways to minimize the county's financial burden, and economic effects, and will review and promote these from various angles so that local residents can form a consensus."