Korean parents shun Western schools and opt for subtropical island
Yanbo Li started looking for an international school in Asia from the birth of his son Zhilun.
A Chinese businessman who works in the computer industry, Li ultimately chose a British school on the subtropical island of Jeju in South Korea rather than schools in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Two years ago, he bought a house in Jeju and left China with his son, now in seventh grade at the island’s North London Collegiate School.
Li now looks after his Beijing-based business remotely, only visiting his business in an emergency. “The schools here offer high quality education and excellent outdoor activities,” Li said.
“It’s safe here. Jeju is bigger than Hong Kong and Singapore, there are fewer people and less traffic, and it’s easier to go back and forth from here.
More and more South Koreans and wealthy Chinese are sending their children to Jeju instead of schools in the west or other parts of Asia, raising the island’s income and real estate prices as parents move to be near their children.
Since 2008, four high-end international schools, including the NLCS and Branksome Hall Asia, have opened in Daejeong, after the government launched a $ 1.5 billion project to transform the 940-acre agricultural area into an international education center.
Daejeong was a quiet farming village with spectacular views of the deep blue Jeju Sea and Mount Halla, the island’s highest peak. The island was famous for its old-fashioned deep-water dives, tangerine groves and iconic black pigs, and is still a popular destination for honeymooners.
But the city, just an hour’s flight from Seoul, is now filled with modern schools, five-star hotels and resorts, and upscale private villas with outdoor pools and nearby golf courses.
About 4,600 students are enrolled in the four international schools, while the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) has signed preliminary agreements with two other Western schools.
“We will make the city a center of education for Northeast Asia,” said Moon Dae-lim, president of the JDC. “We have our unique attraction to Hong Kong and Singapore: the beautiful nature and safe environment of Jeju. “
Jeju schools have helped South Korea stem the outflow of foreign exchange linked to study abroad and family rifts, as Korean mothers typically accompany their children abroad, leaving fathers behind to provide financial support.
They also gave students a different way to learn.
Bae Suh-yoon, a 13th grade student at NLCS, moved to Jeju with her mother Chung Mi-hyang nine years ago. Her father, a doctor, works in Seoul. “Korea’s education system is exhausting and focused on rote learning. I wanted my child to receive a creative education, but I didn’t want to send him overseas too soon, ”Chung said. “Being in Jeju, our family can see each other more often. “
Daniel Gondorf, a 12th grade student from Berlin, moved to Jeju this year to attend NLCS. “It’s one of the best schools in the world based on their IB [International Baccalaureate] scores, ”he said.
The majority of students in international schools are South Korean with around 10 percent from China and 5 percent from Japan, Mongolia, the United States, Australia and Europe.
Chinese parents have been drawn more to Jeju’s special visa system which grants permanent residence to people who invest in condos and resort facilities, although this system has been temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools are oversubscribed despite annual tuition and boarding fees of up to $ 50,000. More than 90 percent of graduates obtain places in the top 100 universities in the world. Students can also enjoy extracurricular activities such as diving, snorkelling, and horseback riding.
“More and more parents are realizing that they don’t need to send their child to the UK, the US or anywhere else.
In 2019, a total of 8,961 South Korean elementary, middle and high school students went to study abroad in 2019, a steep drop from 29,511 students in 2006, according to government data.
School officials expect more international students to come to Jeju as vaccination rates rise. “We are in a much more politically stable part of the world. We don’t have any restrictions in our curriculum, ”said Oldfield, comparing international schools in Jeju to those in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Eugine Oh, marketing director at Branksome Hall, said the Canadian girls’ school was receiving more requests from Chinese parents in part because of the increasingly stringent regulation of private education in China.
The popularity of the schools has led to a construction boom in the region. Upscale villas there sell for between 3 billion won and 10 billion won ($ 2.5 billion to $ 8.4 million), far more than even glitzy apartments in Seoul’s wealthy Gangnam district.
“Real estate prices here have been heavily influenced by international schools. Apartment prices have increased 60 to 70 percent over the past two years, ”said a real estate agent from Daejeong village.
“The demand for apartments and townhouses is exploding, but they are scarce. We want more international schools to be created here.