Top UK Prestigious School Expresses Intent to Establish an International School in Yeongjong, Incheon, Attracting Attention

2023.11.28 08:16 https://news.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20231127000798&pos=naver

The Incheon Urban Development Corporation (iH) has received a letter of intent from the globally renowned top-tier K School in the UK to establish an international school (kindergarten through high school) in Yeongjong International City, Incheon, sparking interest.

On November 27th, iH announced that K School from the UK expressed its intention to establish an international school on about 30,000 pyeong (approx. 99,173 square meters) of school land owned by iH in Golden Terrace City, Yeongjong International City, within the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ).

According to iH, the establishment agency BIEK conveyed that K School, a prestigious private school from the UK, plans to introduce the project vision for the establishment of Yeongjong International School.

The official document from K School stated that their board fully supports the establishment of K School International in Yeongjong, Incheon.

K School plans to purchase additional nearby land to construct the international school and faculty apartments along with the three lots (approximately 100,605 m² or 30,000 pyeong) owned by iH.

K School has stated that there is no need to divide the school land into commercial lots and that the land purchase and construction funds required for establishing the school are already prepared.

K School prefers to be selected without a public tender because dividing the existing school land for public tender does not align with their plan to establish a school on the entire site.

As the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority has officially stated, the recruitment of international schools will proceed through direct contracts.

Indeed, in June, the Incheon Economic Authority directly selected a school (Harrow School in the UK) for Songdo International City within IFEZ and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

In its letter of intent, K School plans to operate a teacher training program for the International Baccalaureate (IB), in line with the Korean government's policy of recognizing IB education as a complement to public education. This is expected to enhance the teaching capabilities of educators in Incheon.

Additionally, in line with Yeongjong International City and Jung-gu, Yeongjong becoming an independent district 'Yeongjong District (to be implemented in July 2026)' and its emergence as an international tourism hub, plans are underway to construct world-class sports facilities including an ice rink, fencing stadium, rowing practice facility, and swimming pool.

Especially, by establishing a top-notch international educational institution with K School's curriculum and various sports facilities in Yeongjong International City, there are hopes that it will become a model for Korea and Asia, with the necessary support from the city of Incheon.

An official from the Incheon Urban Development Corporation stated, "We plan to review the letter of intent sent by K School for the establishment of Yeongjong International School, as the recruitment of international schools is being pursued by the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, and discussions will be needed on the letter of intent."

K School has consistently expressed its intention to establish Yeongjong International School since 2020.

Founded in 1829 under a Royal Charter by King George IV, K School has been a part of the prestigious group of 12 schools known as the Eton Group, maintaining its reputation as the top private school in the UK. Last year, it was ranked first among 2,400 private schools in the UK and fifth globally among 5,400 IB schools in 159 countries.

Residents of Yeongjong responded to the news, saying, "If a world-renowned prestigious school is attracted to Yeongjong, it is expected to create the most competitive global educational district in Korea."

However, K School stated that if the school site is reduced, it will not be possible to establish a school of appropriate scale befitting the prestige of a top international school, and if the site is divided for public tender, they will inevitably not be able to participate.

K School is known to be one of the two schools that submitted a participation opinion in August when the Incheon Economic Authority announced through an official notice to find out if there are any international schools willing to participate in the first option for school-led development for the recruitment of Yeongjong International School.

The Incheon Economic Authority's decision on whether to attract a prestigious international school that meets the demands of Yeongjong residents to develop the school on the entire 30,000 pyeong of school land as it is, or to proceed with a tender by dividing the existing school land into some commercial land as originally argued by the authority, is drawing attention.