School for Adult Learners Faces Closure After Principal's Death: "Please Help Us"

[Anchor]

A school that has served as a sanctuary of learning for adult students for over 70 years is now facing the threat of closure. Under current law, the operation rights of lifelong education facilities cannot be inherited upon the death of the founder. Students, now facing the loss of their school, are appealing to authorities to devise a solution.

Reporter Je Hee-won has the story.

[Reporter]

With an average age of 69, Ilseong Women's Middle and High School in Seoul is a place of learning for late-blooming students.

Every day at 2:00 PM, afternoon classes for these students begin.

[Do you have breakfast?]

Whether they are cleaners who have just finished their morning shifts or grandmothers who take care of their grandchildren, they are all students fully immersed in the joy of learning at this moment.

[Ko Yeon-hee / 2nd-year student at Ilseong Women's High School, 65: There is a saying that the world looks as much as you know. My self-esteem, which used to be low, has recovered, and I am living my life with confidence.]

Starting as a night school in 1953, Ilseong Women's High School is the first lifelong education facility in Korea to be recognized for academic accreditation, having produced over 60,000 graduates over the past 74 years.

For those who spent their lives living for others due to war, poverty, and the limitations placed on women, these classrooms are a space to resolve their long-held regrets.

[Hong Myeong-soo / 2nd-year student at Ilseong Women's Middle School, 64: I had an older brother above me and a younger brother below. In the old days, people prioritized educating their sons. I managed to send all three of my children to four-year universities. After they were all married off, I thought about what I wanted to do for myself, and it was studying.]

Following the death of the founder and principal, Lee Sun-jae, last month, the school is now in danger of shutting its doors by February 2028.

Under current law, lifelong education facilities established by individuals cannot have their operation rights inherited upon the founder's death. To maintain the school, the bereaved family must establish a public interest foundation, but the significant financial requirements and licensing procedures pose a major barrier.

Due to these legal limitations, there are 10 such accredited lifelong education facilities in the metropolitan area currently facing the threat of closure.

[Jo Hyeon-bun / Teacher at Ilseong Women's High School for 26 years: They have such bright, eager eyes, trying to absorb every single word. It is heartbreaking to think that the school might close when there are so many students who want to learn.]

The 950 students and faculty members have recently filed a national petition, calling for alternatives such as entrusting the school's operation to a public interest foundation rather than facing unilateral closure.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has also stated that it plans to consult with the Ministry of Justice to amend the Public Interest Corporation Act.

Reported by Je Hee-won | Video by Kang Si-woo | Video Editing by Park Na-young | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun and Lee So-jeong
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.