hankyoreh

The first international school for children of interracial marriages will open in South Korea in 2008, a nongovernmental organization said Friday.

The group Christian Solidarity for Multicultural and International Education said it aims to establish a school that can provide an educational environment in which children from interracial marriages can learn in Korean, English and other languages.

It is a joint project carried out by about 20 leading personnel from the religious, diplomatic, judicial and business communities, the organization said.

Interracial marriages have shot up in South Korea, mostly between Korean men and women from other Asian countries. Of all registered marriages in South Korea last year, 13.6 percent were interracial, up significantly from 1.2 percent in 1990.

The organization said it has secured 2,200 square meters of land for the school in Gyeonggi Province, and will receive approval for construction from the Ministry of Education after it fully meets the criteria for the foundation of an alternative learning school.

It plans to complete construction by the end of next year.

In the first semester, which is expected to start in 2008, 50 students will be enrolled, 40 of whom will be children from interracial marriages.

In order to change the views of South Korea's homogeneous society, the school will also be open to children whose parents are both Korean.

The organization is raising funds from South Korean and foreign investors for the construction and operation of the school. It will ask the South Korean government for financial assistance when the government unveils measures to support interracial families beginning next year.

Today, the majority of interracial children are the offspring of Korean men and women from Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan, among others.

The population of "Kosians" -- children of mixed Korean and other Asian descent -- is estimated to be about 30,000. The number is rising with the increase in such marriages and migrant manual workers coming into the country.

Although most of them are South Korean nationals, the children of interracial marriages endure discrimination by fellow students.

The rate of such children who do not enter or finish primary school is 9.4 percent, and the middle-school dropout rate is 17.5 percent, according to 2002 figures by a nongovernmental group.

The organization said it is preparing a unique program for the children, starting with second-language courses in which they can learn their parents' mother tongues in addition to Korean and English.

"School education is very important for those children. We will also provide one-on-one mentoring program," said Rev. Shin Sang-rok, the chief officer for the organization.

Seoul, Dec. 15 (Yonhap News)