Gyeonggi Province's 'English Village Program' operating in Ansan, Seongnam, and Yangpyeong regions has been yielding results with strong support from local residents in each area. 
▲ Children taking classes at Gyeonggi Province English Village.
Amid these achievements, Gyeonggi Province signed an agreement in July to provide free support for the 'Gyeonggi English Village Program and operational know-how' to Changyeong County in South Gyeongsang Province.
Additionally, since the opening of the Gyeonggi English Village Ansan Camp in August last year, officials from local governments, education offices, and universities nationwide have visited to benchmark the program, suggesting that the English Village Program will expand nationwide.
In this context, Suwon City will finally establish the 'Happy Suwon English Village' to provide a venue for experiencing English-speaking living culture.
The city held a preliminary briefing session on English Village development during the 233rd interim session that began on September 4, and on the 11th submitted an 'Ordinance on the Installation and Operation of Suwon English Village' to the city council, announcing its full-fledged English Village development plan.
Accordingly, when the ordinance is adopted at the 234th interim session of Suwon City Council to be held on the 17th, an English Village will be established in Suwon.
According to the English Village development plan prepared by the city, the English Village is scheduled to open in April next year, utilizing the facilities of the Suwon KBS Drama Center or rental facilities at elementary schools in the city.
The English Village, to be developed with a total budget of 3.5 billion won—2.1 billion won for facility and ancillary costs (including 500 million won from the province) and approximately 1.4 billion won for operations—will consist of an educational space, cultural and experiential space, and other facilities.
The educational space will house basic educational facilities such as learning experience rooms and movie screening rooms so that students can receive instruction conveniently.
In the cultural and experiential space, native English-speaking instructors will be employed and environments similar to villages in English-speaking countries—such as airports, restaurants, and hotels—will be created to provide students with spaces to experience diverse world cultures.
Additionally, bookstores and cafes will be installed within the English Village to provide citizens with more pleasant and beneficial spaces.
The city announced the legislative notice of the ordinance for the purpose of fostering global talent suited to the era of internationalization and improving urban competitiveness, as well as reducing private education costs and preventing unnecessary outflow of national foreign currency from reckless language study abroad programs.
Furthermore, the city plans to waive tuition fees for basic livelihood security recipients, national merit veterans and their families, youth heads of households, and teenagers in social welfare facilities in order to provide English education opportunities to low-income groups.
The English Village will be open throughout the operation period except on public holidays as defined by government office regulations, though it may open depending on program characteristics.
Tuition is 30,000 won per person per day (including lunch and textbooks for all sessions), 60,000 won for weekends (2 days), and 100,000 won for regular programs (5 days), with operating hours from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Regarding this, Ryu Jung-sik, director of the Planning and Budget Division, stated, "The establishment of the English Village will be implemented if the English Village ordinance is passed at the interim session beginning on the 17th," and noted that "nothing has been confirmed to date."
Inquiry: 228-2050
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