Teacher notes — Discussion & Debate
A Seoul Neighborhood Doesn't Want a School for North Korean Teens Next Door
- Keep the debate on this specific site and this specific promise, not on North Korea policy generally — it stays sharper and less abstract that way.
- If you have any students with North Korean family background, check in with them beforehand about whether they're comfortable with the topic; don't put them on the spot to "represent" a side.
- The assigned-side pair debate works better than open floor for this one — genuine NIMBY arguments are uncomfortable to say out loud unprompted, and assigning the position removes that hesitation.
- Have a real example ready of a different NIMBY fight (a homeless shelter, a halfway house, a group home) in case students freeze up on this specific one.
- This story is unresolved. Tell them that. It removes the pressure to find the "right" answer.