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�鶹��Ƶ Korea played a crucial role in connecting students from different cultures across language barriers over a seven-day Incheon–New York High School Exchange Program in July. 

Education authorities from Incheon and New York have collaborated on a brand-new exchange in which students from the two cities shared classrooms and experiences while acknowledging the language and cultural barriers in between. 

The George �鶹��Ƶ lead on the project—Hyunyoung Cho, a professor of English in �鶹��Ƶ Korea—noted how ambitious the project was. “Last year, when the two cities’ authorities first met, we had no specific plan on how to implement this grand project,” she said. “However, with the effort of so many officials and schools, this became a reality and a truly historic starting point for more exchanges to follow.”

The students from New York were given the chance to mix into the daily learning environment of Incheon students. Incheon Popular Arts High School welcomed the delegation with workshops in practical music, performing arts, and media production. Students collaborated on music, dancing, and acting performances, learning how artistic expression can transcend language barriers.

Incheon International High School also provided a platform for globally focused, project-based learning, where the students engaged in discussions on cultural perspectives and future careers in an increasingly interconnected world.

Korea Jewelry High School offered hands-on craft training and the New York students learned silver ring-making techniques and reflected on the craftsmanship behind vocational artistry.

These experiences allowed both Korean and American students to compare educational methods, share aspirations, and explore different approaches to education.

Five �鶹��Ƶ Korea students—Chaeyoung Moon, Cheho Moon, Jisu Kim, Jungbin Eom, and Minsoo Kim—assisted Cho in planning and running the program. The �鶹��Ƶ Korea students served as mentors and helped introduce the group to the new environments including classrooms, historic sites, and popular streets while drawing on what they learned in ENGH 300 Literature for the Public and Cross-cultural Communication.

Yoon-oh Noh, research officer at the Incheon East Asia Global Education Institute, said the mentors made this program especially distinctive. The student mentors functioned as primary cultural guides and instructional supports—making implicit rules explicit, framing activities so that both sides could contribute, and linking daily experiences back to the program’s goals. 

Beyond their in-program facilitation, the mentors’ work spanned the entire lifecycle of the exchange from pre-program planning and advance site visits to creating a workbook and post-program deliverables, including a report and 

Throughout the seven days, the students from New York recorded and shared their insights in the program workbook and through presentations and videos. They said  that they were able to overcome language barriers with the active support of mentors and buddy students, and they experienced more than textbooks could convey. They also discussed how this event changed their mindsets. 

Many of the New York students remarked that becoming friends with Korean students was their best experience in Korea. “He is my Chingu, he is my best Chingu,” one of the students said, after learning the word “friend” in Korean from a mentor.

For many New York students, the mentors were their most consistent Korean counterparts.

With plans to continue and expand the partnership, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education and the New York City Department of Education reaffirmed their commitment to equipping students with both academic learning and intercultural competence to thrive as global citizens.