Hope in the midst of war...Israeli Hangul School Sports Day

[Anchor]
Korean children gathered in Israel, where war has not passed away, for the first time in a long time.

A sports day organized by the Israeli Hangul School to commemorate the resumption of offline classes, which were suspended in the aftermath of the war, was an opportunity.

Innocent children had a happy time laughing and talking for the first time in a long time.

Reporter Myung Hyung-joo from Israel has the news.

[Reporter]
I greet my friends after a long time and exchange items with fond memories.

Children's faces are full of laughter when they face food from their hometowns such as gimbap, tteokbokki, and sweet and sour chicken.

The endless laughter of children fills the night sky throughout the sports day that runs until late at night.

[Yoo Yu-yeon / Israeli Hangul School Student: I had a lot of fun with my friends today. We played soccer together, ate and talked together. It was fun.]

Hangeul School, which has been conducting only online classes for safety reasons since the Israeli-Palestinian war began in October last year.

In the aftermath of the war, the number of students has decreased significantly from before.

Despite the difficult situation, Hangeul School resumed offline classes for the first time in a year in November and held sports meetings, bazaars, and Korean food sharing events.

As activities were restricted due to the war, we prepared a time to comfort Korean students who complained of emotional isolation and share their affection for their home country.

[Oh Han-min / Israeli Hangul School Teacher: I think it's very meaningful that we have a chance to gather together and see each other face to face and give them a sense of security]

Korean children living in Israel usually go to Israeli schools during the week.

Most of them are well adapted to local schools, but they often gain psychological peace at Korean language schools where they can share the same culture and emotions in their native languages.

Multicultural families, where one of their parents is Jewish or Arab, also recognize that it is very important for children to attend Hangul school and learn the culture and values of their home country.

[Amit Nakhbar Jung / Israeli Korean Language School Parents: Personally, I think (Korean language school) is very important. I think it is very important for Koreans in Israel to maintain Korea's heritage and understand and make good use of the language of their ancestors.]

Hangeul School, which has played a significant role in learning the culture and emotions of the distant homeland.

Especially now that the war is in full swing, Hangeul schools play a more important role in providing emotional comfort to children.

[Yoo Hojin / Israeli Hangul School Parents: It's a great time to run around in an open space, have face-to-face classes with teachers, and communicate a lot in Korean.]

Despite difficult conditions, the Israeli Hangul School is becoming a safe and warm shelter in the heart beyond simple educational spaces.

Our Korean children are here feeling the affection of their home country and developing their future dreams.

It is YTN World Myeonghyungju in Israel.