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Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun: If high-tech firms mark the start, the finish should be an international city… Effort to attract foreign schools gains momentum

Suwon Special City is accelerating its plan to become an international education hub by courting a prestigious British private school with a century-long history for a planned economic free zone site.

According to reporting by EToday, Suwon Special City and the U.K.’s Benenden School signed a memorandum of understanding on the 17th in the situation room at Suwon City Hall to establish a cooperative framework for setting up a foreign educational institution in the Suwon Economic Free Zone.

Those at the signing included Mayor Lee Jae-jun of Suwon Special City, Rachel Bailey, headmistress of Benenden School, and Matthew Commander, the school’s director of international strategy.

Founded in 1923 in Cranbrook, Kent, Benenden School is one of Britain’s leading private schools. Princess Anne, the daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022), and Princess Benedikte of Denmark are among its alumni. The school already operates a branch in Guangzhou, China; Suwon would be its first contemplated site in South Korea.

Under the agreement, Suwon will provide administrative and regulatory support to help Benenden establish a branch campus smoothly. Benenden, for its part, will prepare overall school operations, including developing a plan for the branch, reviewing operating procedures, and designing the curriculum.

The main areas of cooperation include reviewing the establishment of a foreign educational institution in connection with Suwon’s economic free zone plans; discussing the implementation of an internationally recognized curriculum and the creation of a stable learning environment; and providing administrative and regulatory support while mutually sharing relevant information.

On the 16th, Rachel Bailey and Matthew Commander conducted on-site inspections of proposed economic free zone locations, including Tapdong Innovation Valley and the Suwon R&D Science Park. Bailey said she was impressed by Suwon’s forward-looking approach and business activity and welcomed the opportunity to form a close partnership with the city.

Mayor Lee Jae-jun said, “If high-tech firms mark the start of an economic free zone, the finish should be an international city. By working with Benenden School, the Suwon Economic Free Zone can establish itself as a research city that attracts innovators from around the world.”