74-Year-Old School Faces Closure Following Founder's Passing

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There is a middle and high school where the average age of the students is nearly 70. It is Ilseong Girls' Middle and High School, a place where late-blooming learners who missed out on educational opportunities in their youth gather. Now, the school is reportedly facing the threat of closure.

Reporter Je Hee-won has the story.

[Reporter]

With an average age of 69, Seoul's Ilseong Girls' Middle and High School is a place of learning for late-blooming students.

Every day at 2:00 PM, afternoon classes for these older students begin.

[Do you have breakfast?]

Whether they are cleaners who have just finished their morning shifts or grandmothers who take care of their grandchildren, they are students fully immersed in the joy of learning during this time.

[Ko Yeon-hee / 2nd-year student at Ilseong Girls' High School, 65: There is a saying that the world looks as much as you know. My self-esteem, which used to be low, has been restored, and I am living my life with confidence.]

Starting as a night school in 1953, Ilseong Girls' High School is the nation's first lifelong education facility recognized for academic accreditation, having produced over 60,000 graduates over the past 74 years.

For those who spent their lives living for others due to war, poverty, and the constraints of being women, this classroom is a space where they can finally resolve their long-held regrets.

[Hong Myeong-soo / 2nd-year student at Ilseong Girls' Middle School, 64: I had an older brother above me and a younger brother below me. In the old days, people educated their sons. I was determined to send my three children to four-year universities, no matter what. I saw them all get married and move out. When I thought about what I wanted to do last, it was studying.]

Following the passing of the school's founder, Lee Sun-jae, last month, the school is now at risk of closing its doors in February 2028.

Under current law, the operation rights of a lifelong education facility established by an individual cannot be inherited upon the founder's death. To maintain the school, the bereaved family must establish a public interest foundation, but the significant financial requirements and licensing procedures pose major barriers.

Due to these legal limitations, there are 10 such accredited lifelong education facilities in the metropolitan area currently facing the threat of closure.

[Jo Hyeon-bun / Teacher at Ilseong Girls' High School for 26 years: Their eyes sparkle as they try to absorb even one more thing. It is heartbreaking that the school might close when there are so many students who are so eager to learn.]

The 950 students and faculty members recently filed a national petition, calling for alternatives such as entrusting the school's operation to a public interest foundation rather than facing unilateral closure.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also stated that it plans to consult with the Ministry of Justice to amend the Public Interest Corporation Act.

(Reported by Kang Si-woo | Video by Park Na-young | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun and Lee So-jeong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.