A special school designed to accommodate student defectors from North Korea is set to open in 2006. The Education Ministry announced the plan Tuesday to open the school in March, 2006 in Il-won city, Gyeonggi province.
Under the provisional name of Han-gyeo-reh School, the teaching facility aims to provide systematic education to the student defectors so as to better acclimate them to their new home in South Korean society. Over the years, concern has been raised over the difficulty that young North Korean defectors undergo while adapting to the South due to their relatively low level of education and cultural differences. Currently, a total of 625 North Korean teenagers are residing in the nation.