British Cultural Village to Open in Busan by 2028
A British cultural village linked to two prestigious British private schools is set to be established in Myeongji International New City, Gangseo District, Busan.
The Busan city government signed a memorandum of understanding with the British Embassy in Korea, the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone (Bjfez) Authority and the Royal Russell School Busan Campus Promotion Committee to create the British cultural village by 2028, the city government said Sunday.
With the establishment of the new town, up to 400 British nationals are expected to settle in the western region of Busan.
The village will feature Royal Russell School and Wellington College, both accredited by Korea’s Ministry of Education, as well as a complex of British-style villas, British-themed shops and medical facilities for foreigners. Iconic British monuments such as replicas of the Tower of London, London Bridge and Big Ben will also be installed.
The project gained momentum after Ronald Hadden, director of the Royal Russell School Busan Campus Promotion Committee, first proposed the idea to the city in July 2022. Hadden said that with the school’s establishment, approximately 400 British nationals ? including faculty, family members and international students ? would move to Busan, and that building a British cultural village alongside the campus would be fitting for Myeongji International City.
In February 2023, Busan and the British Embassy in Korea agreed to cooperate on future city technologies, trade and investment, laying the groundwork for the British cultural village plan. The project draws inspiration from the successful French cultural village of Seorae Village in southern Seoul.
The culture village will be centered on two international schools ? Wellington College and Royal Russell School ? in Myeongji town. The schools aim to open in August 2028.
The Busan branch of the Royal Russell School, a prestigious private school in London supported by the British royal family, will offer a K-12 curriculum, offering education programs from kindergarten to high school.
Its Busan campus will span 29,547 square meters (317,992 square feet) in Myeongji-dong, Gangseo District, and will teach up to 900 elementary and 450 middle school students. Korean nationals will be allowed to enroll regardless of overseas residency, but will be limited to 30 to 50 percent of total enrollment. Tuition is expected to be about 10 percent lower than the national average for international schools.
When built, the Busan campus will be Royal Russell’s first international branch since its founding in 1853.
Wellington College, another elite British school with a 160-year history, will build an early childhood and elementary school on a 12,982-square-meter site, with plans to expand into middle and high school levels in the future.
As of May this year, Korea has seven international schools certified by the Ministry of Education. Of those, three ? two in Incheon and one in Daegu ? are within free economic zones like Myeongji. The remaining four are in Jeju Global Education City.
“The British cultural village will provide infrastructure for culture, education and research and development, helping to create a healthy cycle of talent attraction and corporate investment," said Park Seong-ho, commissioner of the Bjfez. "It will become a catalyst for Busan to emerge as a truly global city.”