Minister Positive About US Army School Plan
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
South Korea's top educator said he is positively considering the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) proposal to allow Korean students to study at new army schools to be built in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
In return, Korea has been asked to share construction costs
Education, Science and Technology Minister Ahn Byong-man said he is looking into the proposal and there is a high possibility that the project will be realized.
``It's at a very initial stage. So, it's a bit too early to talk about it,'' Ahn said at a press meeting. ``Still, there is a high possibility. We will seriously look into the matter.''
He said Korean and American students can learn from each other and the project will help curb the number of Korean students going overseas in their early years.
USFK Commander Gen. Walter Sharp met Ahn to discuss the project on Feb 22. At that time, ministry officials only said the minister listened to the commander without giving any specific responses to the proposal.
``We will continue to discuss the project with the U.S. army. For example, we need to decide whether to build the schools in the camp or outside. Under the current Education Law, Korean students are not allowed to attend schools on U.S. army bases, but the USFK is insisting that schools should be in the camp for the protection of their children against terrorists,'' said a ministry official, who declined to be named.
According to the Gyeonggi Province Government, a total of 18 elementary and secondary schools are planned in the province and the regional government is waiting for final approval from the ministry.
The USFK will need more schools at its new base because of the ``tour normalization'' plan under which the U.S. army will allow most married service members stationed in South Korea to live with their families for about two or three years with financial support under a command sponsorship program.
Legalizing Korean students who are currently illegally attending U.S. army schools is another reason for the project, according to parents and teachers from the army schools. They claim some U.S. base personnel have adopted Korean children who wish to study at the schools in exchange for money and other compensation.