University hosts North Koreans
New students bridge gaps, cause fears
February 20, 2007
Lauren Thompson
Trinity Western University has always prided itself on its international community. But though its 358 international students come from many different nations, there is one country few thought would ever be represented on campus: North Korea.
That will change this spring, as the university welcomes six students from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK; North Korea) to study English.
The students, all Korean English teachers, will be arriving some time in early March, depending on when their visas come through. For about six weeks, they will be taking special courses taught by TESOL and Linguistics professors Phil Goertzen and Dave Lindsay, and grad student Hannah Visser.
“This is very unique,” said Goertzen, director of the TESOL program, who has been heading up the process. “As far as I know, no other universities in Canada [have DPRK students].”
The students’ arrival is the culmination of years of relationship building with DPRK leaders. Five years ago, Goertzen travelled to the country as a consultant to facilitate bringing Canadians in as English teachers. After working out the logistics, TWU has sent Goertzen and colleagues to North Korea for the past three summers.
Last spring, this same team brought five leaders from the DPRK Ministry of Education to Vancouver to tour universities in the area, in order to see if they could send students here. “Once [the North Koreans] met all the leaders here, they said ‘we want to work with Trinity,’” said Goertzen.
After this decision, Goertzen said the relationship between TWU and DPRK leaders changed. Though they used to be met with suspicion, “they now treated us with freedom, and didn’t monitor anything,” he said.
All this is happening against the backdrop of recent UN and U.S. sanctions against the DPRK government, which includes restrictions on personnel movement out of the country, because of their nuclear weapons program.
Goertzen has had to work closely with contacts in the UN and with Foreign Affairs Canada to bring the students to North America.
“Canada has diplomatic relations with North Korea,” said Goertzen. “We tend to believe in engagement as a problem-solving process.”
He believes nothing but good can come from inviting the students onto campus. “If the wider world finds out, it is good for Trinity. We are at the forefront of education and peacekeeping,” he said, adding that bringing the students will increase TWU’s profile, and could aid in the country’s bilateral relations.
Despite the potential positive effects, DPRK officials are still requesting no media relations.
Safety is not an issue for TWU, according to Goertzen, who assures “this is a good opportunity.”
“As far as I know, there will be no covenants on their movements, as of right now,” he said, adding “there are no mentionable fears, not that I can talk about.”
South Korean students appear supportive, according to Goertzen, but he added that some are a bit wary.
“I am excited and scared at the same time,” said Kate Park, a third year student from South Korea. “I’m excited because I’ve never seen a North Korean in my life, but I’ve also been scared and educated because of the war situation.”
The current war between North and South Korea has a strong effect on Korean student perspectives, she added. “My parents’ [generation] taught me that they are not my friends.”
Because South Korean men are required to serve in the army, she noted that her male Korean friends at TWU are having a harder time with their neighbours’ impending visit. “Their reaction is ‘that’s impossible—they’re enemies,’” she said.
Despite this, Park said, “They are our family, our brothers and sisters, but at the same time they are not part of my life and my country.”
Jay Oh, another third year South Korean student, sees the students not with fear, but with sadness. Although he’s never met a North Korean, he said he feels “sad about it, because all I see on the media is their poverty.”
Oh also expressed some apprehensions about the motives of the students. “I feel it is a good opportunity for them to come to Canada, depending on what they are using it for,” he said.
The students will most likely be staying in the North Fraser dorms, which have been empty since September.
Now you go...
2 Responses to “University hosts North Koreans”
Got something to say?
Hi, there’s a slight error in the newsbrief of the printed Mars Hill… it states we will be sending 60-80 English teachers to the DPRK this summer, but in fact the number is 6-8. Thanks!
Thank you, we recognize the mistake and apologize for the error.