American filmmaker Jeremy Workman directed “School for Defectors,” a documentary introducing Jangdaehyun Middle and High School (장대현중고등학교) in Gangseo-gu, Busan, and showing North Korean defector students finding their identities and dreams in South Korea. The film won five awards at festivals in the United States and Canada, including the Boston Independent Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. The awards draw attention not only to the students featured in the film, but also to the circumstances that led to the creation of alternative education for them.

Background and context

Jangdaehyun Middle and High School was established by people concerned that teenagers who had come to South Korea with parents who fled North Korea were giving up on their studies and dreams as they faced cultural differences and learning gaps. Initially, the school held classes while students remained enrolled at nearby middle and high schools.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (부산시교육청) recognized the school’s college admissions results, curriculum and student activities, and operational transparency, and accredited it in 2022 as Busan’s first private alternative school (miscellaneous school) (사립대안학교(각종학교)). Jangdaehyun Middle and High School reopened for a second time in March 2023, and its graduates receive recognition for their formal educational qualifications without having to take the middle or high school equivalency exams. According to the article, it is one of only four alternative schools for North Korean defectors nationwide whose students can receive recognition for their formal educational qualifications this way.

Director Workman visited the school when he came to the Busan International Film Festival in 2023. He wanted to make a film about North Korean defector students finding their identities and dreams in South Korea. The film was completed a year and six months after production began.

The awards were the Boston Independent Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, the deadCenter Film Festival Feature Documentary Special Jury Award, the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival Director’s Choice Award, the Calgary International Film Festival Best Documentary Grand Jury Prize, and the Mystic Film Festival Best Director of a Documentary Feature award. Jangdaehyun Middle and High School principal Im Chang-ho said he thought foreign audiences had responded positively to seeing North Korean defector students living bright and hopeful lives.

What this news means

The film covers the school’s educational environment and the students’ growth. The circumstances behind the school’s recognition of students’ formal educational qualifications and its students’ college admissions outcomes explain the educational context of the story. However, there is no basis for concluding that these facts were the reasons the film won its awards.

At the time the article was written, 19 students were enrolled at the school—seven middle school students and 12 high school students—and all lived in the dormitory. Over the past 12 years, 30 of the school’s 33 high school graduates had gone on to college. Graduate Jang Eun-sook fled North Korea in 2013 at the age of 16 and settled in South Korea. After enrolling at the school in 2014, she entered Korea University’s Department of Political Science and International Relations in 2017. She was later selected for a Fulbright Graduate Scholarship (풀브라이트 대학원 장학금) and pursued a master’s degree in sustainable international development at Brandeis University’s graduate school. At the time the article was written, she was working as an intern researcher at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

For example, for a North Korean defector youth weighing school life and further education amid cultural differences or learning gaps, this case may show that an alternative school can be one educational pathway leading to recognition of formal educational qualifications and college admission. However, neither one graduate’s experience nor the school’s overall admissions record guarantees the same outcome for every student.

Confirmed facts and what remains unknown

Confirmed facts

  • “School for Defectors” is a documentary about North Korean defector students finding their identities and dreams in South Korea.
  • The film won five awards at film festivals in the United States and Canada, including grand jury prizes and directing awards.
  • Jangdaehyun Middle and High School was accredited in 2022 as Busan’s first private alternative school and reopened for a second time in March 2023.
  • At the time the article was written, the school had 19 students enrolled, and 30 of its 33 high school graduates over the past 12 years had gone on to college.

What remains unknown

  • The original article does not state when “School for Defectors” will receive a general theatrical release or become available online.
  • It is not known how opportunities to see the film will be arranged following its festival awards.
  • The original article does not specify the eligibility requirements or application process for admission to the school.

What readers should check

  • Readers who want to see the film should check official announcements for any screening or online release dates.
  • Students and guardians considering the school should directly confirm with the school or education authorities whether formal educational qualifications are recognized, as well as the admission requirements and process.
  • The admissions figures reflect the outcomes of past graduates, so readers should separately review the curriculum and support available to individual students.