Beijing gold medalists, artists named teachers emeritus for rural children

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Beijing weightlifting gold medalist Jang Mi-ran and judoka Choi Min-ho were named teachers emeritus along with several prominent artists on Wednesday, an honor that will link them to children in rural, remote regions.

The honors were handed out when the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a memorandum of
understanding to boost arts and sports education in remote communities with the
mentor system and a hefty cash boost.
Among the 23 recipients are Chung Myung-whun, a renowned maestro who currently
serves as conductor of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Jo Sumi, a Grammy award
winning coloratura soprano, ballerina Kang Sue-jin, samulnori performer Kim
Seok-soo and awards-winning novelist Eun Hee-kyung.
Olympic archery gold medal couple Park Sung-hyun and Park Kyung-mo, who will tie
the knot in December, are also part of the mentor program along with Jang and
Choi.
The emeritus teachers will travel to elementary and secondary schools in rural
and fishing villages nationwide to give lectures and training when requested by
schools. The tenure of the honor is three years.
The education and culture ministries plan to jointly inject 1.2 trillion won
(US$968 billion) over the next five years so that rural students can learn and
play in urethane playgrounds and new sports facilities that are usually found
only in urban areas.