일본 한글학교의 현황과 과제: 한글학교 교사 면접을 중심으로 = A Study on Current Status and Tasks of Korean Schools in Japan: Focusing on Interviews with Teachers at Korean Schools

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aimed to understand the current status of Korean schools and suggest problems and tasks. An in-depth interview was conducted on four teachers from the Korean School Council in OO, Japan. The results are summarized as follows. First, the reason why Korean school education in Japan is not active compared with that in other countries seems to be the lack of practical necessity for Korean parents and students in Japan to study the Korean language, culture, and history. Students living in Japan will continue to live in Japan. Moreover, because they slightly differ from the Japanese in terms of appearance and behavior and are not conscious of other people, they do not seem to worry much about their identity. Second, although the teachers of Korean schools live in Japan, there is a view that national identity education should be provided as a Korean people and that there is no problem in living in Japan. However, there is a view that it is necessary to reveal their identity and to understand Korean and Japanese cultures in order to bridge the gap between Korean–Japanese relations. Third, Korean schools in Japan show a unique phenomenon, wherein more Japanese students want to learn Korean compared with Korean students. Using this as a motive for the establishment of Korean schools, it is necessary to emphasize that Koreans living in Japan do not have an imperfect identity, but rather have a self-esteem with favorable specifications equipped with two other potentials. Fourth, in situations where there are old- and newcomers and there is controversy over their identity, Korean school teachers should organize and share their philosophy on the educational purpose and direction of Korean schools through communication and training.