North Korea Into the International Community Through Youth

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/01/kim-han-sol-kim-jong-ils-_n_990140.html

The United World College (UWC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina has announced the acceptance of North Korean student, Kim Han Sol, the grandson of North Korean leader, Kim Jong II. This is the first time in the history of the UWC movement that a North Korean student will enroll at one of the 13 UWC schools worldwide.

The United World Colleges is an international body with (as many outsiders would note) utopian goals, yet within the parameters of the UWC movement which by now consists of almost 40,000 alumni in every country in the world, these aims are realistic: “UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future” and focuses on international and intercultural understanding regardless of socio-economic background. The ethnic composition of any United World College is so diverse that nationality and ethnicity have a tendency to quickly become irrelevant with regards to the human relationships that are formed at the UWC schools, simultaneously as cultural differences play the vital role of bringing people together, which is the sole basis for the foundation and the uniqueness of a UWC. Thus, ethnicity and cultural differences never stand in the way of personal bonds. Instead, diversity is celebrated as each student is encouraged to step out of his or her comfort zone and embrace each other’s differences.

The chairman of the school’s founding board, David Sutcliffe asserts that “United World Colleges exist in order to cross new frontiers in international education…The opportunity of taking a first step in bringing North Korea into the international community, through youth, is one to be cherished.” It is intriguingly admirable that Kim Han Sol has decided to attend the UWC in Bosnia and Herzegovina instead of a UWC in a different country, particularly because the school in Bosnia is located at the former front line in downtown Mostar that divides the town in two since a war broke out between Muslim Bosnians and the Catholic Croats in 1992-1995. The opening of the UWC school contributed to reconciliation and peace in the city.

Kim Han Sol’s choice is a symbol of a promising future for North Korea. The reasoning behind his choice demonstrates a possibility of North and South Korea to eventually reach an accommodation, and for North Korea to open up to become included and involved in the global society, not only politically and economically but also socially. I am fully aware that this might sound too idealistic to many people, but being a UWC graduate myself, I understand the transforming effect this type of educational experience has on young people who are chosen to participate in the UWC marvel. Hopefully, during his time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kim Han Sol will realize and acknowledge the regime changes that must take place in North Korea. Should he ever succeed his grandfather, I am almost certain that Kim Han Sol will mark the end of communism and one-man dictatorship in North Korea. Once the UWC force has united people, nations and cultures for peace, it is impossible to break their interconnected bond.

- Inga