Enjoy this short video snippet about Osaka Kongo International School from our 2024 Expo.
Transcript
Osaka Kongo International School
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hello, we are here with OKIS here with uh Adam. Welcome, Adam.
Osaka Kongo International School: (00:05) Thank you.
ISTimes Global: (00:05) Well, um I say welcome but uh your school is actually in Osaka.
Osaka Kongo International School: (00:10) Yeah, that’s right. So
ISTimes Global: (00:11) You should be welcoming me.
Osaka Kongo International School: (00:12) Well, welcome to our booth. Thank you very much for coming to visit.
ISTimes Global: (00:15) Thank you. Uh beautiful town, beautiful city.
Osaka Kongo International School: (00:18) Yeah.
ISTimes Global: (00:18) Uh so, um OKS has been around for a while. Uh I believe you had mentioned before 1945 was actually the start of the school.
Osaka Kongo International School: (00:26) Yeah, it’s it’s a pretty unique school in that um it was built right after World War II and it was set up by the Korean government. So, uh after World War II, um a lot of people in Japan needed a place to go, a lot of Korean people needed a place to go. So the government set it up. Uh so in collaboration with the Korean government, the Japanese government came together and they built this school. Uh and since it opened, it’s kind of evolved uh into an international school and it welcomes people from all sorts of backgrounds and um our student body is pretty diverse in that sense. Um but because we set up originally as a Korean school, uh we do a lot of education with Korean language, history and um it actually it allows students to pursue a career in Korea and other international uh fields. So it’s it’s quite a unique unique school in Osaka and then in Japan, in fact. Yeah.
ISTimes Global: (01:26) And is so is the primary language of the school uh Korean or certain uh classes only are taught uh in Korean?
Osaka Kongo International School: (01:33) Well, um the basis Japanese. Um so we do get funding from the Korean government and the Japanese government. Um but our curriculum is set up as a Japanese curriculum. So we do the basic Japanese curriculum, uh as well as teaching Korean language and Korean history from elementary school until high school.
ISTimes Global: (01:54) Yeah. And um OKS has grown quite a bit um over the years. What is so what do you think is attracting um um Japanese families or uh the international community to your school?
Osaka Kongo International School: (02:07) Well, that’s a that’s a great question. I think that there are a couple of things that are attracting people. Um one, I think that a lot of people, a lot of families want to preserve their heritage and um these days I think that people want to have pride in their roots and their their ancestry. So people who have Korean roots are certainly coming to our school, um just so they can learn a little more about their heritage and maybe they can connect with family that are still living in Korea. Uh on the other hand, we have a lot of Japanese students and other international students who are really interested in Korean pop culture. So it’s attracting a lot of students uh to our school. And I think it’s really good because uh once they get their foot in the door, our school really helps them get into uh universities abroad too, especially Korean universities. So I would say probably about half of our high school graduates go to Korean universities with with the assistance of our our teachers.
ISTimes Global: (03:03) Okay. Yeah. I see. So uh over the years you must have had many, many generations of um graduates.
Osaka Kongo International School: (03:09) Yeah.
ISTimes Global: (03:09) Um what do you think that the graduates take away from uh graduating from uh OKS?
Osaka Kongo International School: (03:16) Well, I’m living in Japan, I think that um everyone has a way of thinking, um you should do this or you should do that. But what we’re trying to do is kind of break those barriers and let students realize that there’s more out there. And I think that by learning Korean culture and Japanese culture and uh English culture that students are really realizing that there’s more out there in the world. So I think that our graduates have a a much broader take on how things in in the world work actually. And I think that we set them up so they can start making their own choices and they can explore different parts of the world uh by themselves. So I feel that uh our school really promotes individual thinking, global thinking and um also the Korean community is quite small. So you have a lot of families who know each other and a lot of camaraderie. Um it’s it’s not such a big school. So it has this kind of family feeling too, familiar feeling. Um so I think students can take away uh a really good sense of community and then also they can uh students can also um explore more of the world by themselves.
ISTimes Global: (04:32) I see. Yeah. Now, uh this is certainly a different type of school than other international schools.
Osaka Kongo International School: (04:38) Yeah.
ISTimes Global: (04:38) Um what is your uh personal experience in in the school and uh it’s it’s it seems quite interesting with having the Japanese uh curriculum, this strong Korean background. meanwhile you have this outside international community coming in. Um just yeah, interesting to see your uh your perspective.
Osaka Kongo International School: (05:00) Well, I was actually I was blown away actually. It’s um it’s such a unique school, right? Um this trilingual school in the middle of Osaka. Um when I first went there, I didn’t know much about Korean culture. So for me it was really eye opening as well. Um and I like that uh in Japan schools are quite big, right? Um but because our school is smaller, uh you get more of this one-on-one um kind of relationship with the students. So it feels a lot closer and we can really help students in in a much more individual way. Um but definitely seeing this meld of cultures in a school is just it’s really fun. And I think it’s I think it’s really unexpected. Uh let me see. Uh I think that students who have only attended uh kindergarten in Japan or only elementary school in Japan will be just as surprised as I was um because it’s it’s just really interesting meld of cultures. So I I personally really like it. I think it’s unique.
ISTimes Global: (06:05) Yeah, I think um well, thank you so much. I think um parents should definitely come and see the school. It sounds uh fun and unique and sounds like a great family atmosphere.
Osaka Kongo International School: (06:14) It is. Yeah.
ISTimes Global: (06:15) Thank you so much.
Osaka Kongo International School: (06:16) Thank you very much.
About Osaka Kongo International School
- Founded in 1945 by Korean government after WWII to serve Korean community in Japan
- Unique trilingual education (Japanese, Korean, English)
- Japanese national curriculum with enhanced Korean language and history studies
- Diverse student body including students with Korean heritage and K-pop enthusiasts
- Strong university pathways to Korean universities (50% of graduates attend)
- Small school environment with family-like atmosphere
- Located in Osaka, Japan
