Korean Minjok Leadership Academy

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Korean Minjok Leadership Academy
민족사관고등학교
Motto Deep Awareness of the Heritage of Our People

(민족주체성교육)
Established 1996
Type Private
Principal Lee, Donhee
Faculty 107
Students approx. 450
Grades 10-12
Location Hoengseong, Gangwon province Republic of Korea
Website [1]

Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, or KMLA, is a private high school located in the countryside of Gangwon-do, South Korea at an altitude of 600 meters. Its official Korean name is 민족사관고등학교(民族史觀高等學校), and it is commonly referred to as 민사고 for short. It is a boarding school, and primarily due to the school's high academic reputation, high-quality faculty and facility, and very small number of students admitted, admission into KMLA is very much desired by many Korean middle school students.

KMLA aims to provide "education based on deep awareness of the heritage of our people"(민족주체성교육), which includes classes on Korean traditional culture, regular leadership lectures, and selection of a modified version of Hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, for its uniform.

Contents

[edit] Description

Some of KMLA's unique characteristics and policies are as follows:

  • Support for the teachers' individual academic researches, realized by incorporation of the classrooms and teachers' offices and laboratories.
  • English Only Policy, which requires every student and teacher to use English during the school hours, except in Korean language and Korean history classes.
  • Practical application of education for the gifted students.
  • Three-step education method: Teaching/lecturing, Discussion/debate, and Writing/tutoring.
  • System of individual college counseling for each field and major.
  • Daily physical training in forms of Taekwondo, Kumdo, Korean archery, etc.
  • Classes and clubs for Korean traditional music and arts, including Samul nori, Daegeum, and Gayageum.
  • Individual Research hours granted within the regular curricula.
  • Unsupervised examination policy.

[edit] Enrollment

All of KMLA students are either in the Minjok class (domestic field) or the Ivy class (international field), and in 2002, for the first time, the school admitted more International Program students than domestic field students. Currently, the number of Minjok students and International students are approximately equal for incoming students.

In the beginning years of KMLA, the school admitted very small number of students (about 20 to 30 each year), but starting from 2003 it began to increase the number. In 2004, the school admitted 150 students and is expected to continue admitting 150 students each year.

[edit] History

Although KMLA celebrated its 10-year anniversary on March 1st, 2006, its history started quite a long time before its establishment in 1996. In 1977, Choi Myung Jae, the founder of the school, visited England’s renowned Eton College and felt a need for an institution of high character to nurture future global leaders in Korea. The success of his dairy firm, Pasteur Milk, in the 80s and early 90s would later provide him with the finanacial resources to realize his dream.

After deciding to create a school that would produce international figures, Mr. Choi got the government’s permission to establish the school in 1993. The first headmaster and the faculty were signed in on March 1st, 1995, and the school received its first students a year later on the same date. At the time, the construction of the school had not been completed, and the students would study in the partly constructed buildings. The gym was completed in December, 1996, and the Dasan Hall(one of the two main school buildings) was completed nearly a year later.

The school’s famous English Only Policy was established in January, 1997, and in March, it was expanded to all areas of the school except a few non-English classes. In February, Choi Myung Jae was appointed as the director of the school. In 1998, the school’s education policy of Teaching-Discussion-Writing was institutionalized, the first elections for the Student Council were held, and the Minjok Herald was first published. In 1999, the graduation for the first wave was held, the International Program was added, and the 12-floor dormitory was built. In 2000, the EOP was expanded to all classes and Choi Kyung Jong, the founder’s son, was appointed as the director.

In 2001, the school was certified as an Educational Testing Service AP test center and designated as an experimental independent private school. In 2002, the founder Choi Myung Jae was appointed as the 4th headmaster, and the first AP exams were held in May. In 2003, the school held its first Mathematics Competition and the current headmaster Lee Don Hee was appointed in August. In 2004, the school established the Individual Research(IR) program, was certified as an SAT and PSAT test center, and won the Global Korea Award 2004.

Also, in 2006, KMLA was selected by the U.S. College Board as a World Best School in the Advanced Placement Program, particularly for the four subjects of AP Calculus BC, Physics B, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics. In 2007, for seven subjects.

Sun setting in KMLA.
Sun setting in KMLA.

[edit] Extracurricular activities and student life

Over a hundred extracurricular activities are technically available at KMLA. Examples include the Samul nori club, Daechita, intramural orchestra, ballad group, rock bands, hip hop group, basketball club, girls' basketball club, girls' softball club, baseball club, soccer club, school Amnesty, school newspapaper club, literary magazine club, MUN, MUNESCO, international volunteering club, English debating club, cooking club, horseback riding club, Korean archery club, counseling club, peer tutoring club, star observation club, R&B club, and a club for aspiring cartoonists.

Moreover, students in KMLA are able to represent and lead their peers by becoming the member of Student Council which is consisted of three main branches including Executive, Legistlative, and Judicial ones.

The school's official student-run English newspaper, the Minjok Herald, runs an online newspaper, the Minjok Herald Online (http://www.minjokherald.net).

[edit] Finances

The cost of yearly attendance is about $17,000, making KMLA one of the most expensive South Korean highschools. Financial aid is very limited, and all financial aid is merit-based to some extent. The school in turn spends more than $30,000 per student per year.

For the first few years after KMLA was founded, students attended the school for free. However, with the collapse of Pasteur Milk in the late 90s, this no longer became possible. The school had to increase the tuition gradually to the current level.

[edit] External links

[edit] Articles

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