Short-term and long-term impact of invitation program for Japanese teachers to Korea

Since the Japanese government colonized Korea 100 years ago, the relationship between Japan and Korea has always been bad. To build a better relationship, the Japanese government started to invite Korean teachers to learn about Japanese culture and education in 2000. The Japanese government also started to send Japanese teachers to Korea from 2003. This program which sends Japanese teachers to Korea was implemented every year, and 211 Japanese teachers have so far visited Korea through this program. However the impact of this program had never been evaluated until now. In this paper, short-term and long-term impacts of this exchange program are researched. The short-term impact is assessed by analyzing secondary data. The long-term impact is assessed by interviewing participants of the program. Regarding the short-term impact, this study found that teachers had a positive impression about Korea and they learned about the Korean education system and issues. However, many participants did not build friendships and networks with Korean teachers. Regarding the long-term impact, this study found that Japanese teachers introduced Korea to their students, but there was no teacher who set up annual lessons which introduced about Korea. Additionally, some teachers told about their exchange program to their colleagues, but progress with teaching methods or school management was not observed.