During the ground reaking ceremony on Friday, Korean Association board member Jun Lee told reporters that the new community center and school will provide not only Koreans but non-Koreans an opportunity to learn their language.
Lee said funding comes from the Korean Association Committee.
Korean Consul General Lee Chong-il said the new community center is a fulfillment of the dream of over 3,000 Koreans residing in the CNMI.
He said although the project entails a lot of work, he and the association are hopeful the center will be finished next year.
Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela said the association had been asking for a space to for the community center for the past years.
“The Korean Association will finally have a place to call their own, a place where they can convene,” Tudela said.
Korean Association president Park Jun-Soo said the groundbreaking ceremony is just the start.
The new center, which used to be the Neo-Fashion garment factory in San Antonio, will have 13 classrooms, an auditorium, a library, an office, storage units, a cafeteria and kitchen, basketball court, and a spacious parking space.
