My Dream International Foundation Chairman Son Chang-hyun promised to donate $5,000 to Bangkok Saturday Korean School during his visit on October 21st, acknowledging the financial difficulties faced by the school due to various reasons including building rent.
The Bangkok Saturday Korean School began offering Korean language classes to Thai students in 1965 at the residence of the Korean Embassy, and later started fundraising within the Korean community to establish a Korean school. With the support of Korean businesses, expatriate companies, and the expatriate community, the Bangkok Korean International School was established. It relocated to Minburi in 2003 and operated as the Bangkok Korean International School until 2020, offering in-person classes before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2020, Bangkok Korean International School relocated to the Lam Intra area, close to downtown, and resumed in-person classes. After continuing online classes and preparing for in-person classes, the school relocated to the Lam Intra area of Bangkok in February 2022. However, due to a clause stating that they could not renew the lease at the Bangkok Korean International School location, the school moved back to its former location in Minburi in August to resume classes. However, the current school location in Minburi is over 30 kilometers away from downtown, resulting in long commutes for students. Some students requested to suspend their studies due to excessive commuting time and motion sickness. Additionally, there have been occasional sightings of snakes on the playground, leading to concerns about safety and measures to control outdoor activities and prepare for potential emergencies. Students and teachers are feeling anxious under these circumstances.
In this situation, there were concerns about safety issues and the potential for the school's existence due to the continued use of the former Bangkok Korean International School building in Minburi, as well as problems arising from the decrease in the number of students. However, due to tight finances, it would have been extremely difficult to operate the school if they were to lease another building.
At this critical juncture, during the 16th Asia Korean School Conference held in Bangkok, My Dream International Foundation Chairman Son Chang-hyun, who was attending the event, was briefed on all these circumstances and decided to provide financial assistance for the relocation of the Bangkok Saturday Korean School building.
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