"Pohang Opens Era of Overseas Education: City Signs MOU with Prestigious UK Royal School CCB to Establish International School"

Pohang City is accelerating its transformation into a global innovation city, aiming to achieve both population growth and economic benefits.

Pohang City has taken its first official step toward the opening of a foreign educational institution (international school).

On November 20, Gyeongbuk Province and Pohang City signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Christ College Brecon (CCB), a prestigious British royal school, for the establishment of an international school at the Pohang City Hall main conference room.

Pohang City, which signed an MOU with the prestigious British Royal CCB and an international school, (from left: Bang Wonju, CEO of Pohang Convergence T&I; Gareth Pearson, Principal; Lee Cheolwoo, Governor; Lee Gangdeok, Mayor of Pohang; Kim Ilman, Chairman of Pohang City Council; Lee Wongyeong, Acting Commissioner of Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority) Photo by Pohang City

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This agreement is expected to serve as the starting point for actively pursuing school establishment and related administrative and legal procedures.

More than 50 participants attended the signing ceremony, including Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province; Lee Gangdeok, Mayor of Pohang; Kim Ilman, Chairperson of Pohang City Council; city and provincial council members; Lee Wongyeong, Acting Commissioner of Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority; the principal and development director of CCB; Bang Wonju, CEO of Pohang Convergence T&I, the project developer; and a counselor from the British Embassy in Korea.

This MOU is a follow-up measure promised after a Pohang City delegation, including Mayor Lee Gangdeok, visited CCB on October 14 and discussed cooperation for attracting the international school. The agreement outlines mutual cooperation among the school, Gyeongbuk Province, Pohang City, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority, and the project developer Pohang Convergence T&I, including the establishment plan and implementation details.

The international school to be established through this agreement will be set up under the "Special Act on the Designation and Operation of Free Economic Zones" and, as an officially approved foreign educational institution, will allow limited enrollment of Korean students. Graduates will be recognized as having completed the entire domestic curriculum.

Currently, there are only three such foreign educational institutions operating in Korea: one in Daegu (Daegu International School) and two in Songdo, Incheon (Chadwick International School Songdo and Calvin Manitoba International School).

Gyeongbuk Province, Pohang City, and Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority plan to provide expedited support for all administrative procedures required for the establishment of the Pohang International School. CCB will operate the Pohang campus based on the curriculum of its UK main campus, enabling local students to receive a world-class education.

Before the signing ceremony, the CCB delegation visited the planned school site within the free economic zone, as well as local educational and industrial infrastructure such as the POSCO PR center and Gyeongbuk Science High School. The CCB representatives evaluated that if Pohang’s advanced science and technology industries and educational infrastructure are harmonized with the educational philosophy and curriculum of the UK main campus, it could become a world-class educational model.

The British Embassy in Korea also played a significant role in facilitating communication for this agreement. The embassy provided practical support by establishing a channel for smooth dialogue and cooperation between CCB and Pohang City.

Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, "Through CCB’s specialized engineering education, I hope our local students will grow into the talent needed for the region’s secondary battery, bio, and hydrogen industries, and find employment locally. We will spare no administrative support for the successful establishment of the Pohang International School."

Mayor Lee Gangdeok commented, "The international school will serve not only as a foundation for nurturing outstanding talent but also as core infrastructure for attracting global companies. I am confident that by attracting the international school, Pohang will establish a virtuous cycle of global talent development, research and development, and the attraction of global enterprises, evolving into a self-sustaining innovation city."

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