Women denied access to education mourn principal who gave it back

“You have to go to your families and say, ‘I am a student now, I have to study, so let’s share the housework.’” Kim Sang-hyun, vice principal of Ilsung Women’s Middle and High School, offered advice and encouragement to the students gathered in front of the platform on March 3 at Sinchon Methodist Church in western Seoul, at the school’s entrance ceremony for the 2026 academic year. The women about to become middle and high school students did not dress or look like other students. They wore hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, instead of uniforms, and not one of them looked like typical teenagers worn down by a nagging parent. Among them was 77-year-old Lee Bok-gae, who was entering middle school that morning — an adult learner, one of the women who lost their chance at school due to financial difficulties and gender inequality in education. Born the eldest of seven children, studying became an elusive dream, as she had to work while caring for her younger siblings. That same day, her granddaughter became a middle school student, too. On her way to a different school, the girl waved

Latest News from Korea

Latest Entertainment from Korea

Learn People & History of Korea