Peace Education in Korea

Yun Hye-young, Busan Jung-ang High School, Korea

     I am Yun, Hye-young, an English teacher of the 2nd grader in high school. When I heard of the peace education, frankly speaking, I felt ashamed that I have never had systematic plans for that. Korea is the only separated country in the world by the ideological problem and suffered from the most 3 tragic wars in modern time; two against Japan in Josun Dynasty and in the World War 2 and one against north Korean in 1950. It must be necessary to think of the importance of the peace under this situation.

     However, Korea places so strong importance on entering the university that it never give students the time to think something without the test. We usually focus on the KSAT (Korean Scholastic Aptitude Test).

     Fortunately, I found some teachers were trying to think of what to teach. A reference book for the education against the wars and for the peace was released by KETG (Korean English Teachers Group) recently. It deals with the issues about the Iraq war and a variety of activities to think of the peace with articles, movies, and songs by the teachers of many other subjects. I also joined the campaign against the dispatch of Korean troops to Iraq with my students a month ago. Then I heard the changes among the students' thoughts about the war.

     While I was thinking of the peace education, I could find the many kinds of other efforts to inform and discuss the peace. The most impressive thing was the internet site, the peace internet newspaper (http://peacemaking.co.kr). I am sorry that you cannot read it because it is written only in Korean. I was surprised and touched that so many people were trying to inform the situation around the world and the importance of the peace. Also there are so many social groups for the peace and the unification of Korea.

     There are the graduate universities to grow the specialist and educator for the peace at the international level to contribute on the realization of the world peace.

     We could attend many events to think of the Korean unification like the seminars, and cultural festivals. In Korea, the movement to establish the peace museum not the war memorial hall is active. People get some ideas of the world peace doing activities there.

     Korean attended the war against Vietnam by the force of America and gave so much pain to them. We feel so sorry that many social groups try to do lots of campaigns to make good friendship with Vietnamese sincerely such as supporting the establishment of the peace museum and the poor family in Vietnam.

     I think it must be a great opportunity to consider the world peace in detail while preparing for this seminar. I will try to make plans on how to teach and what to teach about the peace in class.

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