2.4 mil. S. Korean students return classes in phased reopening

"친구들 보러 가요"…긴장 반 설렘 반 초등 1∼2학년 등교High school seniors returned to class last week and as part of the nation's phased reopening of schools, roughly 2-point-4 million younger students in South Korea went back to school today - some for the very first time in their lives.But, more than five-hundred school nationwide had to postpone their start date once again due to new COVID-19 cases in their communities.Our Kim Dami has more onKorea's youngest grade school students got to meet their new classmates on Wednesday.It was exciting for them, of course, but because the virus is still out there, back-to-school required more preparation than ever."I have this face mask necklace but my mom kept telling to be careful so that it doesn't get caught in my bag. I told her to stop telling me that because I do have it on.""I was told to come to school so I came, and I was welcomed by my teachers and friends. It's very different from class online."These first graders are among some 2-point-4 million students going back to class, including kindergarteners, third-year middle school students and second-year high school students.The school day has been shortened, so after lunch at their desks, they were dismissed."But some kids weren't able to come to school at all. More than 560 schools nationwide had to delay their opening because there were new infections confirmed in their communities."An unexpected twist, but the education ministry says classes had to resume eventually."Online classes cannot provide students with the kind of education they get from their teachers in person."To prevent even the smallest chance of infection, parents can still choose to homeschool their kids."It's important to educate our kids but we are focusing more on creating a safe environment for them."And in urban areas like Seoul, schools rotate attendence so they have only two-thirds of their students on site at one time.Kim Dami, Arirang News.