International teens invited to Korean home stay

June 22, 2015
This file photo shows a Taiwanese tourist, top right, having a meal with the host family of her homestay. (Courtesy of Sarah Hsieh)

This file photo shows a Taiwanese tourist, top right, having a meal with the host family of her homestay. (Courtesy of Sarah Hsieh)

BUCHEON, South Korea (Yonhap) — Foreign teens have been invited to a home stay program in a provincial city near Seoul, the city government said Monday.

Families in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, will host teens from around the world to allow them to experience life in South Korea firsthand, city officials said.

A total of 37 teens from the sister cities of Bucheon will stay with their South Korean counterparts from Aug. 7-14 as part of the Bucheon International Youth Homestay Exchange Program, the officials said.

The four sister cities are Harbin, China; Khabarovsk, Russia; Okayama, Japan, and Bakersfield in the U.S. state of California.

The Bucheon city government is currently accepting applications from middle and high school students in the city who are interested in hosting teens from abroad.

Participating students will also get a chance to stay with host families in Harbin and Bakersfield in January 2016 and Okayama and Khabarovsk in July to August 2016.

The application is available on the city government’s website (www.bucheon.go.kr) and may be submitted by email.