In South Korea, the acceptance of students on school trips from Japan, which had been suspended due to the spread of the new coronavirus, resumed on the 21st for the first time in about three years, and a ceremony was held at the airport to welcome students from Kumamoto Prefecture.
At Incheon Airport near Seoul, South Korea, a total of 21 junior high and high school students from Lutheran Academy arrived from Kumamoto Prefecture on the afternoon of the 35st.
A welcome ceremony was held at the airport, and after a bouquet of flowers was presented to the representative students, Team Leader Japan Yang Kyung-so of the Korea Tourism Organization greeted the students with a Japanese, saying, "I am very happy to see you all after the period when I could not visit Korea."
According to the Korean government, the acceptance of students on school trips from Japan began in 1972, but was suspended from 2020 due to the influence of the new corona.
Natsume Hiraoka, a second-year high school student, said, "I am grateful to be able to study in Korea for the first time in three years, and I would like to actively interact with local high school people."
Students from Kumamoto Prefecture are scheduled to visit Seoul and Jeonju in the southwest from the 21st to the 25th, where they will observe classes at local high schools.
The Korean government plans to invite more than 100 junior high and high school teachers from Japan junior high schools and high schools to Korea during this summer vacation in order to increase the number of students on school trips from Japan.