Kyoto International High School, a Korean-ethnic school that seeks to win the title of a foreign school for the first time in the 109-year history of Koshien, Japan, has completed preparations for the final. Kyoto International High School said it knows the support from Korea, and is determined to help promote friendship between Korea and Japan through this victory.
“Students are calmly preparing for the final,” said Baek Seung-hwan, principal of Kyoto International High School, in a phone call with Money Today the 300 on the 22nd. “Through this final, we will try to create an opportunity for future development of friendship between Korea and Japan, even if it is a small force as a Korean school.”
Principal Baek said, “We want to win the final to help students grow as players, develop their schools, and impress Korean society in Japan. We also practiced the final with the determination to play a game that impresses the fans who love the school.”
Kyoto International High School, an ethnic Korean school, is aiming to win the title at the Japan National High School Championship (Summer Koshien), which started in 1915. This year’s finals were contested by 49 of Japan’s 3,957 schools that passed regional preliminary rounds.
Kyoto International High School’s advance to the finals is truly an “underdog rebellion.” Currently, Kyoto International Academy has a total of 159 secondary school students, with only 138 high school students. There are 61 students from the baseball team and three from Korean descent. On the other hand, Kanto Daiichi, who will face off in the finals on March 23, is considered a battle between David and Goliath due to its different size from Tokyo.
“Sea of the East Sea” “Progeny of Korea”…Japanese High School Students Sing by Korean Language School
Kyoto International High School is drawing attention in Korea because images of Japanese students singing Korean school songs were broadcast live throughout Japan through NHK, a public broadcaster. About 70 percent of students enrolled in Kyoto International High School are Japanese and only 30 percent are Korean.
The school song begins with the phrase, “The land of Yamato across the East Sea is the holy place of our ancestors’ old dreams.” The East Sea is a name that has been used by Koreans for more than 2,000 years, and Japan calls it Sea of Japan Some of the school songs include “Rise Up Strongly, Son of Daehan.”
Kyoto International High School started in 1947 when Kyoto Chosun Middle School was established by a group of Koreans in Japan. At that time, Koreans in Japan lost their right to vote and were subject to discriminatory management as foreigners, but they rented a private warehouse or renovated buildings owned by Koreans to establish schools to educate their descendants.
Kyoto Chosun Middle School transformed into Kyoto Korean Academy in 1958, but was not treated as an official school in Japan. In 1999, the school created a baseball team to accommodate Japanese students due to a decrease in the number of students and financial difficulties. The school received official approval from the Japanese government in 2003, and has now become Kyoto International Academy.
President Yoon said, “In 1983, the opening of the Koshien is still fresh…”Cheering for Kyoto International High School”
President Yoon Suk Yeol also wished for Kyoto International High School’s victory. “I am truly proud of you,” President Yoon said to Kyoto International High School players on the day on social networking services. “I applaud the determination and passion of the players who did their best to the extent that the uniform is not perfect.”
“I spent the summer in Japan when my father was an exchange professor at Hitotsubashi University in 1983, and the heat of Koshien is still vivid,” he said. “It is really great that Korean Kyoto International High School, which has only 159 students, has advanced to the final in such a large competition.”
“Your summer is just beginning,” he said. “I will cheer for the Kyoto International High School baseball team and students who brought great joy to the Korean community and our people through baseball.” 안전놀이터
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korean diplomats including Korean Consul General Jin Chang-soo will also visit the Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture at 10 a.m. on Tuesday to cheer for Kyoto International High School players. Korean-Americans are also expected to visit the stadium.
