Ambassador, whose parents fled North Korea, encourages students to overcome challenges during Busan school visit

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel was confirmed on the 28th to have visited an alternative school for North Korean defector youths in Busan and met with students. According to Jangdaehyun Middle and High School, the alternative school for defector youths, Ambassador Steel visited the school on the 23rd and spent 1 hour and 30 minutes having lunch and conversing with students. Ambassador Steel reportedly encouraged the students, saying, “My parents are also from North Korea. I have lived in the same position as you with parents who defected from North Korea.”

Ambassador Steel, the daughter of a displaced person who fled North Korea during the Korean War (6·25) and took refuge in Busan, was born in Seoul in 1955 and immigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1975. Before immigrating to the U.S., she spent her youth in Japan following her father, a diplomat.

Ambassador Steel shared this experience with the defector students, saying, “I faced many difficulties during my youth because I couldn’t speak the language well while living in another country.” She added, “I hope you will gather strength, challenge your dreams and goals, and overcome the difficulties you face now.”

According to reports, Ambassador Steel answered in English to students who asked questions in English and in Korean to those who asked in Korean. Students born in China, who were not fluent in Korean, asked questions in Chinese, and the conversation proceeded through interpretation by a native English teacher proficient in both Chinese and English. Ambassador Steel advised the defector students, “Experiencing and acquiring all languages will become a powerful weapon in the future,” and encouraged them to participate in various cultural and educational exchange programs offered by the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.

Ambassador Steel also said, “When I was your age, I was very shy and didn’t step forward easily, but by communicating with many people, I was able to reach where I am today.” She urged the students to experience the vast country of the U.S., broaden their horizons, and design their future.

Jangdahyun Middle and High School, the only alternative school for defector youths in the Yeongnam region, opened in 2014. All students (capacity of 20 people) live in a dormitory as a community, and their academic achievements are recognized. Native English teachers dispatched through the Fulbright Foundation, sponsored by the South Korean and U.S. governments, teach English. Lim Chang-ho, principal of Jangdaehyun Middle and High School, said, “The ambassador kindly and warmly answered and encouraged each of the students’ questions, which greatly motivated them.”

 

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