Call to Withdraw Ordinance Easing Admission of Korean Nationals to Gwangju Foreign School

Civic Group Warns of Threats to Foreign School Identity
Criticizes Gwangju Office of Education for Contradicting Its Policy on Abolishing Privileged Schools

The Citizens' Coalition for a Society Without Academic Cliques issued a statement on August 25, urging the Gwangju Metropolitan Council to withdraw the ordinance bill on the admission qualifications of Korean nationals to Gwangju Foreign School.

Screenshot of Gwangju Foreign School website.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council recently announced a legislative notice for an ordinance bill reflecting the amendment to the “Special Act on the Promotion of Research and Development Zones.” The bill includes the abolition of the three-year overseas residency requirement and an increase in the admission quota for Korean nationals from 30% to 50%. The organization expressed opposition, stating, "This undermines the public nature and fairness of education and distorts the original purpose of establishing foreign schools," and warned that "Gwangju Foreign School could become a 'foreign school in name only.'"

The organization cited the current student enrollment status, confirmed through a request for information disclosure, and argued, "Although the proportion of Korean nationals is low compared to the school’s capacity, the actual ratio among enrolled students is high." They further claimed, "If the ordinance passes, the proportion of Korean students will increase even more, making the identity of the foreign school ambiguous." They also pointed out, "Allowing a significant increase in Korean student admissions only in Gwangju undermines fairness with foreign schools in other regions."

The annual tuition at Gwangju Foreign School reportedly exceeds 20 million won, and including the entrance fee and other expenses for new students, the total surpasses 30 million won. The organization expressed concern, stating, "If the admission threshold for Korean nationals is lowered, the school could effectively become an elite or privileged school attended only by children from affluent families."

They continued, "Although the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education has pursued the abolition of privileged schools, it submitted an opinion in favor of this ordinance bill, which contradicts its policy direction," and criticized, "The Office of Education, which should be focused on strengthening public education, should not simply go along with this."

The organization emphasized, "Local councils must play a critical and supervisory role to guarantee students' equal right to education," and demanded, "The ordinance bill should be withdrawn immediately, and efforts should be made to ensure the guarantee of basic educational rights."