Haerang School delegation from Qingdao, China, visits Dokdo
(Image provided by the Ulleungdo-Dokdo Ocean Research Base)
ULLEUNG, South Korea, May 24 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of students and teachers from an international school in Qingdao, China, has completed a historic visit to South Korea’s easternmost islands, Ulleungdo and Dokdo, as part of a cross-cultural educational exchange.
According to Ulleung County and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), 52 students and faculty members from the international division of Haerang School visited the islands from May 21 to 23 for a history-focused learning tour.
The visiting students, who hold diverse nationalities—including Korean and Chinese—are among the roughly 100 students enrolled in the international division of Haerang School, which has a total student body of about 400.
During their trip, the group engaged in a marine science camp at KIOST’s Ulleungdo-Dokdo Ocean Research Base, jointly hosted with the UNESCO club of Ulleung Middle School. They also visited several local institutions including the Dokdo Museum, the Dodong Coastal Trail, Ulleung High School, and Ulleung Middle School. At Dokdo, the students posed with a prepared banner for a commemorative photo.
The exchange was sparked by a marine science outreach program led by Kim Yoon-bae, head of the KIOST Ulleungdo-Dokdo base, who visited Haerang School in March. The program inspired the school to organize a full-scale field trip to the Korean islands.
Haerang School delegation from Qingdao, China, visits the Dokdo Museum (Image provided by the Ulleungdo-Dokdo Ocean Research Base)
“This marks the first time a foreign school group has visited Ulleungdo on a school excursion,” said Kim. “I hope this interaction develops into a long-term exchange that fosters deeper understanding between students.”
The Haerang delegation returned to China on May 24, concluding a visit that local officials and educators hope will become a model for future international academic collaboration centered on Korea’s remote island regions.
Dokdo consists of two tiny rocky islets surrounded by 33 smaller rocks. The first historical references to the island were cited in Korean documents, which make reference to them as a part of an independent island state known as “Usankuk” (Ullung Island) which was incorporated into the Korean Shilla Dynasty in 512 AD. (Information extracted from dokdoresearch.com, Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
