미지센터의 청소년 국제교류이야기

Education Donation

Korean middle and high school students are participating in various meaningful volunteer activities. One of the volunteer activities that students perform is 'education donation', an act which senior students teach basic academic works to children in need. While volunteering students have a chance to gain more knowledge, they also spend their efforts for children living in poor environments. For those children who do not even have the chance to get education, this meaningful activity has bestowed a light of hope for them. This activity is held in numerous organizations, youth centers and even in churches throughout the nation.

Some places to seach for Education Donation:

Korea Nanum Volunteer Service Inc.(대한나눔복지회)

Photo Credit: http://cafe.naver.com/knws/

The Korea Nanum Volunteer Service Inc.(대한나눔복지회) manages a group called the Korea Nanum Youth Volunteer Service (대한나눔청소년봉사대) which is a noncommercial organization consisted of many teenage volunteers to give social service to the elders. Among its meaningful activities, the Korea Nanum Youth Volunteer Service (대한나눔청소년봉사대) cooperates with other youth organizations to help their volunteers participate in education donation. Teenage volunteering takes place every saturday and during holidays as an ordinary program.

For more information, please visit http://cafe.naver.com/knws/

Good Neighbors (굿네이버스)

Photo Credit: http://blog.naver.com/dmsruddnwn?Redirect=Log&logNo=40175867997

Good Neighbors is a non-governmental organization established in 1991 to protect the lives and human rights of poor world citizens and has cared for health and peace along with the United Nations. Good Neighbors also organizes volunteer activities to put 'share' 'volunteer' 'social contribution' into action. Good Neighbors has made an agreement with the Western Incheon Office of Education Support (인천시서부교육지원청) to mature students for competence and talents. Good Neighbors has organized many winter education donation programs in elementary schools of Gangseo-gu/Yangcheon-gu. Many volunteers got involved to ensure the safe growth of young children and to encourage the development of their hidden abilities.

For more information, please visit http://www.goodneighbors.kr/main.asp

Local Children Facilities/ Youth Centers(지역별 아동복지관/청소년수련관)

Photo Credit: http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=003&aid=0002984537

Many different children facilities and youth centers have added education donation programs to open children to a wide variety of activities they can enjoy. Children facilities and youth centers of different regions have cooperated with different organizations to invite skilled senior students for simple and enjoyable lessons. For young children in Chlidren Facilities, the education donation program focuses on building a good basis for their start in studying and for the adolescents in Youth Centers, the lessons makes sure that the problems children face with their school work are solved.

For more information, please visit the web page of children facility or youth center nearest from your resident.

With great  luck, I had the opportunity to have a talk with an Apgujeong high school student Yoon Hee Sung (18), who has been participating in the education donation program in a church for two years.

Q> Looking back two years, what was it like starting this volunteer activity?

At first, I didn't really have much courage and I still feel shy and uneasy when I think about my first day at the church. Since I'm not that kind of an open person, I don't really speak much and I hate standing in front of other people I do not know. I really wondered if I could get along with this well.

Q> What did you learn while teaching children at the church?

As I got used to giving lessons to children and sharing conversations with them, I started to get really talkative and changed into a teacher who is very eager and passoinate about her learners. Sort of like a mentor. I really wanted to tell them stories about my days at school and some fun jokes, too. I learnt that studying is not about accepting the lessons being taught. What is impotrant is that the children enjoy the materials that they and I have gone through together.

Q> What did you like most about this program?

To be honest, I first decided to take part in this activity for filling up my volunteering time. But when it was time for me to finish and go back to the church to get the volunteer certificate, I didn't want to show it to my students and felt ashamed of myself. All the effort and time I had spent for this program seemed worthless. The true beauty of this program is that it helped me to develop my skills of interacting with other people and it was such a pleasure to help children with the best thing I can do.

The education donation program is very rewarding for both teachers and learners and it is more than a volunteer activity. This program hopes to mature successful individuals to become sound civilians for the future society.

Korean Women's Literature 30 Years

From 14 Sep 2012 to 3 Nov 2012, an exhibition of Korean Female authors was held in Young-In Museum of Literature(영인문학관). The exhibition held some personal artifacts of famous Korean female writers. Along with the exhibition, the Young-In Museum of Literature had lectures every Saturday that concerned with the writers.

Due to the belief of 'male chauvinism', women in Korea did not have the chance to pursue their dreams but rather stay at home to do daily chores. However with the start of Na Hye Sok(나혜석) in 1918, Korean women started to break out from the old belief and published works that were hardly praised by others. To commemorate the courageous individuals, the Young In Museum of LIterature not only exhibited the literary works of the writers, but also showed some articles of old newspapers to describe the challenging lives of the Korean female writers.

The exhibition had a great meaning its visitors. Visitors could appreciate the works of female writers who had suffered a great pressure under the society and recognize the importance of their existence. Young visitors showed a great interest in the female writers because of the well-known works and they showed regret to the hardships the writers had faced in their lives.

The 8th Charity Flea Market-WeAJa

On the 14th of October, WeAJa Charity Flea Market was opened in 4 areas of the nation (Seoul, Busan, Dajeon and Jeonju) with the theme of 'Sharing makes the economy strong! The earth strong as well!'

The Seoul Market was opened in Seoul World Cup Stadium North Plaza and the opening ceremony commenced the event at noon. Along with host representatives, there were many visitors to share the meaning of this event.

Flea Market

Throughout the whole North Plaza, there were numerous booths that sold products from different social enterprises. This was a great chance for promoting valuable products and introducing visitors to unique ideas. A large booth named 'Beautiful shop' sold coffee and other drinks made from fair-trade ingredients. The booth was organized by 'Beautiful Coffee', a Korean fair trade organization.

Other booths included unique dolls made from re-cycled materials. One social enterprise, 'Yonzdoll' explained that all of their products are made of materials that were collected from thrown away garments. Another enterprise named 'Touch for Good' filled their booth with neat bags made from used banners. Visitors learned the environmental contributions of these social enterprises.

Apart from social businesses, student voluntary groups participated in the flea market as well. Whimoon Boys High School's voluntary group, Doongwoori, opened a market of 100 handmade recycled notepads and 800 re-used goods. From 2010, this group has participated in the WeAJa Seoul Market and donated the profit to the Seoul Daecheong Welfare Center for the senior citizens who live alone. I had the chance to hear some words from the 2012 Doongwoori's leader, Kim Woo Jin.

The WeAJa Charity Flea Market did not only offer its visitors with valuable goods but it also encouraged participants to take some action to help poor nieghbours and save the planet. With participants of different ages, all gathered together to celebrate the idea of 'sharing'.

Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station

In search for eco-friendly resources and undiscoverd organisms, scientists have turned to the mystery terrains of Antarctica. Within the land where it has not yet been affected by human touch, countries of the world seek to construct stations to embark their novel research. With the name of 'Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station', Korea is planning to construct its second research station near the Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica. After a national vote, the station was named after a Korean historic figure named Jang Bogo who swept pirates off the coast in the Shilla Dynasty.

From 1st of August 2012 to 5th of August 2012, a 5-day exhibition was held in COEX to introduce the up-coming Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station. The exhibition included booths that showed 3-D video clip models of the station, the practice of the Antarctic research and the history of Korea's appearance in the Antarctic terrain. The following are some major booths that introduced the new research station to the visitors.

1.The footsteps of the Polar Research

This booth contained information of Korea's continuous efforts and results of polar research. A large timeline was pictured on the wall that pointed out some important dates. For example, in 1978~9, Korea embarked its polar research with the South Pole Ocean Krill work. Soon after on 17th February 1988, the first Antarctic research station of Korea, Antarctic King Sejong Station(남극세종과학기지), was constructed. In April 2002, the Arctic Dasan Station(북극다산과학기지) was built and subsequently, in 2009, Korea's first research icebreaker, 'Araon-ho'(아라온 호) was introduced.

2.A land of mystery, Antarctica

With models of different animals living in Antarctica, this booth introduced the natural environment and the ecological resources of the Antarctic. Along with rare Antarctic animals, there were displays of meteorites discovered in the region.

3.The Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station (1)

This booth showed a 3-D model of the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station that is planned to be completed in 2014. Through this model design, visitors were able to form an abstract thinking of how the design will look and get a more realistic experience with the 3-D effects.

4. The Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station (2)

This booth contained life-sized models of some features of the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station to introduce the special characteristics that the new station has.

-A duplicated heat insulation tube

Regarding the extreme temperatures of the Antarctic, freeze-resistant heat rays and urethane foams were used for the special manufacture. Eventually, pipes that are exposed to out-door environment can be protected from freezing to burst.

-A safe plant company

With 98% of the terrain covered with ice and an average temperature of -34 degrees, plant farming is impossible in Antarctica. However, the safe plant company balances the light, temperature, water and fertilizer in order to produce plants in any climate or area. The safe plant company wil provide fresh, safe vegetation to the Antarctic Scouts who only had frozen vegetables to feed on before.

-A triple windshield

To handle the extreme cold temperatures of the Antarctic, the Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station minimized the external areas and applied a triple windshield to limit the energy loss.

-A sewage disposal facility

In order to protect Antarctica's pure environment, a sewage disposal facility has been imported to re-use the waste water in the research station. The sewage disposal facility will apply a high-tech method of construction using internal circulation to create reusable water.

-A special wall and floor system

Acknowledging the extreme climates of the Antarctic, modular walls and floors have been selected to optimize the field construction in Antarctica. As a normal construction does not fit with the cold temperatures of the Antarctic, fabrication is completed in Korea and building materials are transported to Antarctica. Also, such walls and floors are designed with materials that are resistant against fires and noises for the safe and comfortable living of Antarctic Scouts.

-Facilities that have an efficient use of energy

The Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station has a wind generator that uses the strong winds of the Antarctic climate as its energy source. This power plant is not affected by the wind direction and it can reduce the emission of carbon dioxide along with the fuel usage. Also, all lights within the research station are made with LED bulbs for energy saving. To add, LEDs do not require replacements and such eco-friendly method of lighting do not have any harmful materials such as lead or mercury.

Other than these booths, others provided recent researches of climate changes to awake the consciousness and the will to take action. Also, visitors had the chance to experience activities that were related to Antarctica. This meaningful exhibition allowed its visitors to develop a good understanding of the new research station and the special facilities it holds. Regarding the efforts that are being put into the construction, this exhibition gave a chance for people to realize the importance of research stations in the polar region.

Seoul International Youth Film Festival

About SIYFF& Opening Ceremony

Established in 1999, the Seoul International Youth Film Festival is an annual film festival for discovering and supporting talented individuals and developing various culture programs through media. Through the SIYFF, there is an aim to introduce new world’s coming-of-age films, provide media education for future generations and expand the media culture base for domestic and international youths. The SIYFF targets 20,000 people from 40 countries and this year, it opened its 14^th film festival from August 23^rd (Thu) ~ 29^th (Wed). With various categories, the Seoul International Youth Film Festival screened 141 films of 41 different countries.

The opening ceremony was held in Inchon Memorial Hall, Korea University, on August 23^rd 2012. On the red carpet, some famous Korean filmmakers and actors such as Im kwon Taek(임권택), Lee Joon Ik(이준익), Ahn Sung Ki(안성기) and Ha Jeong woo(하정우) showed up. With a great number of people, the ceremony really did look like one of the world-wide film festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival or the Venice International Film Festival. Young filmmakers who had taken part in the festival also appeared on the red carpet, crowded by many cameras and flashlights.

Soon after, the opening ceremony commenced with a performance of ‘풀림 앙상블’, a new-age music group. After the congratulatory message, the opening film, ‘Kauwboy’ was screened.  As a

movie made in the Netherlands, the film impressively pictured a boy’s growth in a lonely environment.

Screening Program

The screening program of SIYFF was categorized into different groups. Such groups included Kid’s Eye, Teen’s Eye, Strong Eye, Competition 13+, Competition 19+, Pyeong Chang Special Olympics Program and Clermont-Ferrand Kid’s Special Program.

Kid’s Eye program

This section targets preschoolers, lower grades and their parents to show 13 feature films and 14 short films. Such films are shown to be critically acclaimed or internationally recognized. Short films are divided into two sections, Kid’s Eye Shorts 1 and 2. The former introduces mainly animations while the latter introduces adventures and the lives of children.

Teen’s Eye program

‘Teen’s Eye’ section is devoted to teenagers and mainly focuses on the lives of teenagers in different countries as well as the problems they are facing. This section introduces 15 feature films and 7 short films. Some themes that films have are secretive first love, teenage stereotype, school bullying, etc.

Strong Eye

This unique section introduces 14 feature films and 7 short films that have the characteristics of R-rated films. Films of this section contain themes of sex, drugs and violence. This section aims to allow teenagers to communicate with adults by seeing films which show their reality.

Competition 13+

This section is composed of films which are made by teenagers of 13 to 18 from Korea and other countries. Consisting of 14 Korean films and 10 foreign films, the young directors talk about stories of their lives through their own filming techniques.

Competition 19+

Competition 19+ contains films about kids, youth or maturation. This section has 10 Korean films and 10 foreign films which are mostly about kids, maturation of young adults and multiculturalism.

PyeongChang Special Olympics Program

With the support of the United States Embassy in Korea, SIYFF created a PyeongChang Special Olympics section to wish the success of the Special Olympics that will be held in 2013. This section includes films which deal with the success of disabled individuals.

Clermont-Ferrand Kid’s Special Program

Among the unique and fascinating short films of the ‘Kid’s Section’ that the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival provides, SIYFF has selected 23 shorts for children and youths.

As a teenager myself, it was an interesting experience to see films that were made by directors of my age. Since the films related well with my life, it was easy to get focused and sympathize with characters’ situations. Seoul International Youth Film Festival provided its audience with great and creative films and it gave a great chance for intelligent individuals to present their works to the public. Through SIYFF, more and more youths who wish to succeed in filmmaking will be able to take a closer step toward their dreams.

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How to participate in SIYFF

-For filmmaking participation

1. Register on the SIYFF homepage. (www.siyff.com)

2. Send documents related with the film in a CD with a DVD copy to the address below.

 -For film judging participation

Register on the SIYFF homepage. (www.siyff.com)

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Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk

The exhibition's poster

What would have been the reading attitudes of our Joseon ancestors? Could it have been similar to our reading behaviors of today? 

To provide an answer for the questions above, The National Library of Korea planned an exhibition of rare old books from April 2 to June 29. The ‘Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk’ exhibition was held in the Classic Operation Room, commemorating the 2012 ‘National Year of Reading’.

The exhibition had the purpose of showing various methods of reading and providing a way of comparing the reading culture of the past and the present. The exhibition was also meaningful as it allowed people of today to realize the decreasing levels of reading and the importance of rare old books.

In The National Library of Korea, there were more than 20 rare old books displayed in the Classic Operation Room. As there were a large number of people in the library, many people visited the exhibition to look at the old books. Not only adults and seniors but a number of teenagers came along to read about the lives of our ancestors. From reference books to books of cultivation, there were many materials that people rarely had seen.

The Classic Operation Room

Fortunately, I had the chance to meet Ahn Hye Kyong, the planner of the ‘Joseon Intellectual’s

Reading Walk’ exhibition and the person in charge for the display, to interview her about some more information. She is currently the Rare Book Specialist of Korea Research Institute for Library and Information (KRILI).

The following are some famous displayed books of the past which are well-known to the people of Korea.

1.’The Secret of Enjoying Ignorance’ 격몽요결[擊蒙要訣] –Yool-Gok Yi-yi

This is a book published by a famous scholar, Yool-Gok Yi-yi, for those who were starting to learn literature. Consisted of 10 different parts, this book introduces correct methods of reading and moral principles that people should practice. This book was read by many Confucians and kings of Korea. A famous phrase of this book is ‘For telling the difference between the right and the wrong, there is nothing better than reading because all of our ancestor’s traces within books teach what to follow and what to look out for.’

2. ‘Book on Self Culture’ 사소절[士小節] – Lee Duk Moo

This is an autobiography of a realism scholar, Lee Duk Moo, to inform people of manners between scholars and family members. As a book of etiquette, it helps to cultivate minds and have a moral character. At that time, this was acknowledged as very useful and efficient. Lee Duk Moo explains the manners by saying, ‘Do not put saliva on your fingertips to turn over the pages, do not underline with your nails and do not fold the pages. Also, do not open the book when you are cleaning and do not turn over the pages with a hand you had scratched your head with.’

3. ’Method of Reading’ 독서요결[讀書要訣]

This book has recorded the methods of reading and the reading attitudes of people in the past. Also, it explains the correct order of learning from a book and the right mental attitude that a person should have before reading a book. To make it easier to understand, there are many diagrams along with the information. The author and the publisher of this old book are not known.

As I looked through all of the exhibited books, I learned that it is really important to read frequently and make sure that you get a full understanding of the book’s message. Scholars of the past had a great reading attitude and that helped them to acquire a huge amount of useful information through reading. I wish many teenagers could realize the importance of having the correct reading attitude through the exhibitions provided by The National Library of Korea.

For those who have interest in the ‘Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk’ exhibition, they can find more information on the National Library of Korea’s homepage; http://www.nl.go.kr. Other exhibitions with similar themes will be displayed throughout the year and the ‘Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk’ exhibition will be displayed again at the same place next year. To visit the National Library of Korea, please refer to the map below. More information about location can be found on the library’s homepage.

The overall implementation of the five-day study week, what programs are there to enjoy?

From the first semester of this year, the five-day study week has gone into effect. The five-day study week is a system which requires students to attend classes only in the weekdays, not the weekend. To support this system, Seoul city is currently advertising and opening some great activities for young students. Seoul City is going provide 1,171 elementary, secondary and high schools with an expense of 142 million won(statistics: www.youthnavi.net) to create suitable programs for students to enjoy during their free time in the weekends. Newly created activities are categorized into two parts. One is supported and organized by local schools and the other is arranged by special organizations. The former is consisted of activities which can be performed inside classrooms. Schools usually divide these programs into academic clubs (토요학습클럽), cultural art clubs(토요문화예술클럽) and sports clubs(토요스포츠클럽). The latter arranges most of the activity programs, like meeting with artists, trip to museums, looking into universities and visiting archaeological sites. Most of the students who participate in these programs are elementary students because older students choose to focus on their academic studies and voluntary activities rather than on the provided weekend programs. To find out more about the new system, I personally participated in some weekend activities with students.

In school

                       Schools within the Seoul district are currently opening some weekend activities. For students who do not go to school during the weekends due to the five-day study week system, these activities will not only look after children with busy parents but they will also be a great opportunity for inventing students’ skills and creativeness. Students are informed about these programs through school newsletters and they can easily participate by signing up for the activities.

Activity Programs Outside

             From 10 May 2012 to 16 February 2013, the Seoul City has announced that it will be starting a weekend activity program named “Weekend Happy Tour(주말행복투어)”. Each weekend program is established every weekend by 4 different districts of Seoul. A wide variety of activity programs like experiencing farm productions and making cultural art materials are being organized by civil groups and social enterprises which are selected through contests. The first district is supported by ‘Seoul City Mullae Youth Center(서울시립문래청소년수련관)’ (02-2167-0131), the second district by ‘Kwangwoon University’(광운대학교) (02-6715-6650), the third district by ‘Gangnam Seocho Korean Federation for Environmental Movement(강남서초환경운동현합)’ (02-574-7047) and the fourth district is being assisted by ‘Future we make(우리가만드는미래)’ (02-761-2588). Any student who wants to participate can sign up by calling the organizations or by visiting their websites. These groups offer an advantageous prescription for children who are teaching underprivileged and free lunch for participating students.  

On the 17^th of March, a historical culture program was held in the Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement Site. Elementary students of Geumcheon-gu and Gwanak-gu were divided into groups of 12 and an instructor from the hosting companies was arranged with each group. The instructor explained the historic sites and educated young students about the long history of Korea. An interview with an instructor from the industry ‘Travel story(여행이야기)’ was helpful to understand her views about the weekends programs.

Q. Could you briefly explain the historical culture program?

“Well, you could just think of it as an activity program or a method of private education. It is a spot-experience activity but focuses on history trips. On the weekends, I meet with a group of children

regularly and take them around the historic sites. But since today’s theme is ‘The prehistoric times’, this is the first time I’m meeting with this group of students. On the weekdays, adults and older teenagers usually participate in history trips.”

Q. What is the purpose of activity programs?

“As you know, the textbooks that young students use nowadays care difficult to understand without a spot-experience to places like the historical sites. Rather than just memorizing all the complex information in the textbooks, activity programs can be a more enjoyable way to learn. Many mothers are currently choosing this method to educate their children effectively.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How about overseas?

 

Photo Credit: Right-Kate MacDonald and Left-Edward Quensell

 

Foreign countries had taken in the five-day study week system from long ago. Although it is different between regions, foreign countries tend to focus their main weekend activity on sports. One country in particular, New Zealand I had lived, has great weekend sports clubs. Even though New Zealand students get more time during the week to enjoy sports than Korean students, they still participate in many sports clubs during the weekends to relieve their stresses or just to enjoy sports. Unlike Korea, New Zealand’s student sports clubs are small in size and are relatively very cheap or free. One sports club has students from different schools and it participates in various competitions with other clubs. A professional individual or an experienced parent usually performs as an instructor for these sports clubs. One interesting feature about New Zealand’s sports is that people play different sports according to the season. Due to this, Soccer, Netball and Basketball clubs are very popular during winter and Swimming, Cricket and Tennis clubs are favored during summer.

          

Weekend programs are currently being well constructed to achieve its goals of deriving creativity, skills and potentials of students. Such fun activities will allow students to have many experiences and spend their times effectively.

 

Weekend activity programs guide sites

National Parent Service Center(전국학부모지원센터)                  www.parents.go.kr                     

Youth Navi(유스 내비)                                                          www.youthnavi.net

Saturday School(토요배움터)                                                http://5days.go.kr

Original Character Education Net(창의인성교육넷)                   www.crezone.net

Sharing Portal(나눔포털)                                                      www.nanumkorea.go.kr

1365 Voluntary Work Portal(1365 자원봉사포털)                     www.1365.go.kr       

Youth Voluntary Work Activity Center(청소년자원봉사활동센터) dovol.youth.go.kr

Japanese Military Sexual Slaves

On January, it was the 1000^th Wednesday gathering of the Japanese military sexual slave problem. The news had provoked my attention to the matter and I began to research more about the rising issue of Japanese comfort women. For this reason, I visited the ‘House of Sharing’ to find out more about the problem. After the visit to the “House of Sharing”, the experience and some research helped me to learn a lot about the problem of Japanese Military Sexual Slaves.

Who are the Japanese Military Sexual Slaves?

 On August 1944, the essential work order for comfort women was announced in Korea and this allowed the

Japanese military to force sexual work to Korean women. Although legally-coercive conscriptions were not brought into action, the Japanese military began to forcibly employ women. From December 1941, Japanese rebel forces began to hit their stride in female-chasing. This happened in ways like kid-napping, using violence, etc. Poor women aged between 10 and 20 were lured by the promise of successful labor options. Although it is not easy to calculate the exact number of women kidnapped, it is assumed that the whole population would be roughly 50,000~200,000, more than 80% of them Korean (Statistics from the Korea Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, 한국정신대문제대책협의회). Unfortunately, this event did not only occur to young Asian women. For instance, Dutch women living in the Java Islands were also victims of this crime.

Information about the victims of the Japanese military comfort women problem

Once captured, these young women were sent to China, Japan, South-east Asia and many different locations that were conquered by the Japanese. Once settled into the comfort stations, women suffered from a lethal sexual-slave life, hard for any human to endure. Each woman was obligated to receive 35~70 men a day. In the daytime, they served soldiers and petty officers and at night, they were constrained to serve commissioned officers. The brothels, where many of these women lived, were not even provided with acceptable sanitation facilities. Being open to these terrible environments, many women suffered from painful diseases. Three times of venereal disease examinations were held each month for every female and private actions like going out were strictly restricted.

What is the “House of Sharing”?

Currently, the surviving Korean victims of this event are habiting in the “House of Sharing”, a facility located in Gwangju City on the outskirts of Seoul. It was built with the funds from private Korean nationals and a Buddhist organization. Inside the building, there is an extended history hall that includes great artworks by the survivors, artifacts, photographs. Opened in 1998, the hall also includes a re-creation of a room in a comfort station. Through the history hall showcase, they inform the world of the Japanese military’s ‘sexual slave’ brutality. All those showcases remain as the key evidence of the Japanese government’s responsibility for the servant women issues. During the time when I was at the “House of Sharing”, I met the Secretary-General Kim Jung Sook of International Peace & Human Rights Center and gained the opportunity to hear her opinions through e-mail.

1. Could you introduce the ‘House of Sharing’ for students who are not familiar with it?

The “House of Sharing” is a home built for the victims of the Japanese military comfort women problem during the early 1990s. This place was constructed with the contribution from many Korean citizens, also those who supported the Buddhism. On October 1995, the “House of sharing” first opened in Mapo, Seoul and after many moves, it settled in its current place on December 1995. Currently, 8 old women who were sufferers of the Japanese military comfort women issue dwell together in the “House of sharing”. These women have Korean language classes, drawing classes and they hold exhibitions both nationally and internationally to inform the public of the truth of Japanese military’s brutality. Also, they are participating every Wednesday in the “Wednesday protest” in front of the Japanese Embassy for the Japanese government to state the reality of the Japanese military comfort women issue and to request a formal apology.

2.  How would you like to promote the Japanese military comfort women issue?

For to publicize the Japanese military comfort women problem, the “House of Sharing” had opened a History Hall from 1998 and taught some history that could not be obtained in schools. A lot of information about this problem is being sent to others through homepages and social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Also, the “House of Sharing” is organizing volunteer groups from many schools and preparing a program where students can visit the History Hall once in every year. By offering students these opportunities, they are provided with a motivation to share this problem with many of their friends and bring others to participate as well. In addition, the “House of Sharing” is alarming the seriousness of this problem to many individuals around the world through its 2 day and 1 night human rights camp.

3. What do you expect from students, regarding the problem of Japanese military comfort women?

The Japanese military comfort women issue is a historical problem which has not yet been fixed. It has not ended just by being hauled and continually violated by the Japanese soldiers. Many victims of this crime are suffering from troubles, which they received as an aftermath of the crime, for the rest of their lives. The victims have always mentioned to students that a soldier should make an effort to protect a country, politicians should assure a comfortable living for all of its citizens, and students should keep a good relationship with their parents and study hard. The old women victims also emphasized that every person should try to make a good effort within their fields to make their country stronger and make sure that no more victims like themselves come out.

A doorplate of the “House of Sharing”

The History Hall of the "House of Sharing"

It is important for students to take part in solving the Japanese military comfort women problem, but students should firstly take in mind the victims’ hope, “People should accept the tragic events we had to endure as a history for everyone to know”.

Yae-ha Hyun

A Korean, young lady who overcame the difficulties of the daring challenges-studying abroad and immigration.                 

As I had spent my childhood years in New Zealand, settling in a foreign country was not a easy task. There were not much Korean people dwelling in the country at that time and the new environment was very strange to fit into. Many korean students, as well as other asian students, failed to mix in with the "Kiwi culture" (New Zealand culture). However, there was one lady who was recognized among the Korean residents of New Zealand. Her name was Yae-ha Hyun, who flew to New Zealand at the age of 13. Although New Zealand was a remote country to many people around the globe, Miss Hyun settled in well and achieved great results in her academic studies abroad. To hear of her achievements and experiences, I got the chance to reach Miss Hyun through e-mail.

Realizing the true virtue of life overseas

It is your second year as a senior lecturer in graduate school. What is it like lecturing in front of students around your age?

The students seem just like my friends as it has only been a year since I graduated from college. When my professor offered me the assistant professor job, I actually took the chance to earn my living expenses. However, I realized that this job was really worthwhile when I helped students who were passionate about learning. Although I am not a professional lecturer, I was able to understand the parts that students had difficulty with and help them with those matters since it hasn’t been long from my graduation. In fact, I sometimes counsel students about general problems they face in their college years as well as the accounting subject that I teach.

As a person who has experienced the learning environments of two countries (Korea and New Zealand), tell us about the differences and similarities of the two.

What do you do when you want to take a break from studying/researching?

When I get tired, I go out from school and take a break from my routines. I usually walk along streets where it is less crowded and drop into a coffee shop. I really enjoy drinking coffee! I used to be famous among my friends for my affection to coffee. Although I cannot drink that much, a delicate café and a delicious cup of coffee makes me delighted. I also like visiting beaches to take a break. Apart from that, I enjoy many other leisure activities. Though I majored in accounting, I have been drawing since high school because I really take pleasure in drawing. Other than that, I play the piano and participate as a DJ for the radio. When I feel tired from the accounting studies and work, I relieve all my stresses by doing other activities I enjoy.

“Nothing really happened as I wished.”- The hard times

How did you feel when you immigrated overseas at an older age compared to other students?

I came to NZ when my middle school years were just about to end. At that time, I did not know what it was like to move to another country and was so depressed that I had to part with all my friends. But I thought that I would somehow get along with the new environment after some time. However, it was completely different. When I arrived in Auckland and lived in a new house in a new city and met new friends and teachers, it was not easy after all. Learning a new language and getting used to a new life was the most difficult job. Nothing really happened as I wished. As I had been accustomed to the Korean culture for a long time, it was hard to accept the new traditions of a western country, especially the “Kiwi culture”. Not only that, but it was difficult to make new friends who spoke a different language during my age of adolescence. Although Auckland seems like my home now, in the early days of my shift, I failed to get along with the new situation and it felt as if I were lost in the middle of a big ocean.

When was your most difficult situation? How did you overcome such difficulties?

After the hard times of my immigration, the most tiring moment was when I participated in the Honors course after my college graduation. Although there are some differences between departments, the Honors course is when students who have excellent university grades get selected to attend deepened lectures of graduate schools. Students participate in the lecture with scholars but unlike the 2 year master’s course, Honors is a special system that requires students to finish the same course within a year. As expected, it was not an easy job. A great participation was required as it had a small number of students. A lecture was 3 hours, and students had to perform a presentation for the whole lesson in some subjects. There was at least one presentation in a week and individuals had to prepare for their lessons in order to participate in the negotiations. There were no textbooks; students had to find their own way of researching renowned papers in the academic circles. By the fact that I am slow in reading and writing, I took a longer time than other students and there was simply no time to take a rest.

Looking ahead

What are the advantages of studying overseas?

The peculiar educational system of foreign countries can be a great advantage. Most importantly, the government and the school support their students to focus on the studies that they enjoy. The other merit is that studying overseas can widen the perspectives of individuals. When staying outside the Korean terrain, it is possible to have an objective view of the strengths and weaknesses of the Korean nation. Also, a person can develop one’s abilities to look at a situation in many aspects by associating with friends of different race and cultures. If an individual accepts others who eat discrete food, speak different languages and have differing thoughts, I believe that the person will be able to grow up as a mature figure.

What is your plan for the future?

This year, I would like to study for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to acquire a certification. I want to get a job in Korea, but I was told that I needed to have the AIPCA in order to be an accountant in Korea. Though New Zealand follows the same public account law as England, Korea conforms to the American account system so I believe I have to begin a different study. Along with the preparation, I am going to continue the coadjutor work in the University of Auckland while I am staying in NZ. I am planning to guide students with all my abilities. I will treat myself with rests in the leftover periods.