COVID-19, or more commonly known as novel coronavirus, has upended the lives of students in South Korea with the Ministry of Education postponing the start of school until April 9th. Due to this, there has been a clear difference between the schedules of students who attend Korean school and those who attend international schools. International school students are on a totally different semester system where the school year starts in August and ends in June, while Korean schools begin in March and end in January. Thus, international schools were in session when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred while Korean schools were closed for the winter break.

This difference in schedules has impacted students in both school systems in various ways. Since the new school year hadn’t even started for Korean schools, there had not been any formal schooling available for them. To further explore the experience of Korean school students, I interviewed a soon to be 3rd year high school student named Hyun Kim who attends Seohyeon High School. The interview took place online via Facebook Messenger to avoid crowded places like a cafe. 

When asked about how he was spending the extended break, he replied that he had been waking up late everyday and then playing computer games such as League of Legends all day and night. “Some academic institutions have started to open up again but my mom hasn't sent me yet because I might catch the virus. I don’t do anything productive.” This seemed like a dilemma that many parents were facing as the students were left to languish with no academic guidance. 

As a rising 3rd year high school student, Hyun is worried about how this extended break will affect his grades and chances to enter a good university next March. He recently heard that due to the late start of the semester, there is a possibility that his midterm exams would be replaced with summative assignments which will determine his grades. “What I am really worried about is the college entrance exam in November. Since the school year is being shortened, we have to learn so many things in a condensed period of time.”

The current experience of Korean school students stands in stark contrast with the situation of international school students. At Korea International School (KIS) in Pangyo, the school campus has been closed since the last week of February and the usual method of teaching has been temporarily replaced with virtual learning. The online classes are administered through Google Meet or Zoom, platforms where all members of a class could participate in a video call. 

The tricky part has been taking tests as they are given in an environment where the teacher has to try to keep a close eye on students. We are instructed to have our hands, faces, and paper shown in the camera view so they could monitor us to prevent any academic dishonesty. To elaborate, KIS teacher Mr. Kennedy explained, “Taking tests has really been a chaotic and imperfect situation. I have to constantly go back and forth to each student’s screen to check if they are following the rules and of course, there are sometimes technology or connectivity problems where someone gets logged off or the WiFi shuts down. I feel bad for the students as I know they are trying their best.” To be honest, taking tests online is very stressful as we have not been able to adapt to the pressure of taking the test in a new environment yet. Mr. Kennedy adds that although the online classes have been a challenge and the process has not been perfect, both students and teachers are trying their best to complete this academic year successfully. 

As Korean schools plan to start online classes nationwide on April 9th, hopefully the learning gap between these two sets of students will be less pronounced and the lives of students in this country will get back to normal.

Janghoon Lee
Junior (Grade 11)
Korea International School