As darkness falls on the Birdhouse camping site, which has been transformed from a closed school into a camping site, the tent lights are shining. Reporter Park Jong-shik anaki@hani.co.kr
Bukchangseon Elementary School in Changseon-myeon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, where children’s chattering laughter, playground where they would have played happily, and a sports day would have become a venue for a village festival. The school, which opened in 1963 as the Bukchangseon Branch of Seochangseon Elementary School, was closed in 1999 due to a decrease in the number of students. As dusk falls and darkness descends on the closed school grounds, only the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin looks down at the lighted tents one by one. After the midday heat subsides, family members settle down under the zucchini, camellia, and magnolia trees and have dinner while talking about flowers. After being transformed into a camping site, the school grounds and classrooms were filled with the warmth of people.
A family is having dinner at a campsite. Reporter Park Jong-shik
Campsite users are washing the dishes. Reporter Park Jong-shik
Amid a steep increase in school closures due to population decline, the government and local governments are increasingly using closed schools as camping grounds and other cultural facilities. According to the National Statistical Office, the school-age population aged 6 to 21 was 9.181 million in 2014, but decreased by 1.9 million in 10 years to 7.259 million in 2023. This year, 89 elementary schools had no graduates. As school closures increase as the school age population declines, each local government is coming up with various ways to utilize closed schools. It was mainly transformed into a camping site and training center, but recently it has been transformed into a Korean language school, an abandoned cat shelter, and a youth entrepreneurship space.
A rusty statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin overlooks the campsite. Reporter Park Jong-shik
The classroom is used as a space for exhibiting Seogak works and experiencing production. Reporter Park Jong-shik
There are 3922 closed schools across the country, of which 358 have not been able to find a way to utilize them. Local governments are struggling to prevent school closures, but in a situation where closures are unavoidable, finding a way to utilize these schools may be a realistic alternative. It is hoped that the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who guarded the empty playground where students left, will find a new role and shed its old stains one after another.
August 28, 2023 photo planning ‘this moment’ paper. ※ Click on the image to see it larger. ※ Click on the image to see it larger.
Reporter Park Jong-shik anaki@hani.co.kr
2023-08-27 20:00:18
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