□ The Ministry of Education (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Sangkon KIM) together with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (Secretary-General Kwangho KIM) announced the host of the ‘2017 UNESCO Korea-Japan Teachers’ Dialogue,’ which begin on 11 July 2017 at Seoul Sejong Hotel.

The UNESCO Korea-Japan Teachers’ Dialogue was initiated in 2001 with the support of the Korean and Japanese Government, based on UNESCO’s International Understanding Education, to promote educational development and to build mutual relationships between the two countries. A total of 1,996 Korean teachers visited Japan and about 540 Japanese teachers visited Korea since 2001.

Through this Programme, teachers will not only have the opportunity to learn about schools and cultures of Korea and Japan, but also discuss ways to further cooperate in education so that future East Asian generations can collaborate and thus grow together.

□ This year’s Programme brings together 50 teachers from Japan, and the 7-day journey will begin with the welcome dinner on July 11^th.

Participants will be divided into two groups, in which they will learn about Chungbuk and Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education’s cooperation with UNESCO as well as relevant issues at the local level. They will also visit elementary, middle, and high schools and participate in Korean-Japanese teacher meetings, observe classroom lessons, visit student homes and the UNESCO-designated Korean World Heritage Sites in order to enhance their cultural understanding of the two countries.

□ At the 2017 UNESCO Korea-Japan Teachers’ Dialogue, Yeonghan CHOI, Director-General of the International Education Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Education said, “Building the network between Korea and Japan, the two leading countries in education, is the starting point for the East Asian education community's sustainable growth.”

And further indicated, “On the basis of Korea-Japan exchanges, I would like to encourage teachers to go beyond carrying out UNESCO’s activities, and promote students from the two countries to become global talents who can understand and communicate with one another.”