Jeju Elementary School Fourth-Graders Walked 12.4 km on Hallasan... A Challenge Amid Shrinking Field Trips

【Financial News, Jeju—Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】As school field trips have been curtailed by concerns over liability for safety accidents, fourth-grade students from a school in Jeju set out on a long-distance hike to Witse Oreum on Hallasan.
According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education on the 13th, Gu-eom Elementary School (Principal Oh Jin-hee) held a climbing activity for its fourth-grade students at Witse Oreum on Hallasan on the 12th.
The students followed the Yeongsil Trail up to Witse Oreum, at an elevation of approximately 1,700 meters. The school said the round-trip distance was approximately 12.4 kilometers. Witse Oreum is a hiking destination in the highlands on the western side of Hallasan and is distinct from the Baengnokdam Crater Lake summit.
The students set a goal and prepared for the hike in advance. Through their regular morning walks and runs, they built up their basic fitness and developed the perseverance and confidence needed for a long-distance climb.
During the hike, they also faced physical challenges as they climbed steep slopes. The students encouraged friends who were struggling, showed consideration for one another and kept going. Along the way, they also took part in ecological learning, observing Hallasan’s autumn scenery and the natural environment of its alpine region.
Hallasan is a natural heritage site that represents Jeju and a living classroom for ecological education. Visitors can see firsthand how the mountain environment, including its vegetation and climate, changes with elevation. The opportunity to observe in the field features of the natural environment and ecosystem that students have learned about in the classroom gives the experience educational value.

The climb brought together physical education, nature exploration and community education in a single activity. As they made their way to a set destination, the students challenged their physical limits and gained experience working in step with friends to achieve a shared goal.
The activity is particularly noteworthy because it took place as the importance of out-of-school field education was being discussed again.
In its “Field Trip Support Plan,” announced last May, the Ministry of Education said field trips were being curtailed by safety accidents and the burden of teachers’ legal liability. Since a safety accident during a field trip in 2022 brought the issue of teachers’ liability into focus, concerns have persisted that it is difficult to run educational activities outside school.
The Ministry said it would pursue a legal amendment to exempt teachers from liability when they have not acted intentionally or with gross negligence, expand the number of safety support staff, and strengthen on-site support from education support offices. The aim is to help schools run experiential activities required by the curriculum while reducing the burden of safety management.
Gu-eom Elementary’s climb to Witse Oreum is an example of bringing physical activity, nature exploration and community education together in a single field trip amid these circumstances. It has educational significance distinct from classroom lessons because students set a goal, prepare in advance and then challenge themselves in the natural environment.
Gu-eom Elementary Principal Oh Jin-hee said, “The students learned the value of steadily working toward a goal and built a sense of achievement and confidence together with their friends,” adding, “It was a meaningful time in which they experienced the importance of cooperation and consideration.”


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