When a Seattle-based Chinese language program in Beijing suddenly canceled classes and shut down, more than a dozen students were left stranded, though they had prepaid their tuition and housing, reported the Seattle Times. Now, the company’s Seattle headquarters is closed, its phones disconnected and its Web site claims it has filed bankruptcy. The owners have moved to Sweden. Most of the 67 students — from all over the world — have either gone home or arranged for classes at other schools in Beijing, at additional expense. “That ticked us off, really left us hanging,” said Jed Kim, a student from California who paid for 40 weeks of classes and received only nine and a half. “They didn’t give us a timeline or anything.” Students had paid their fees in advance to WorldLink, some up to $18,000 for the entire year, which included housing. WorldLink’s Web site has said since early December that the company has filed for bankruptcy, but no record of the filing can be found in federal bankruptcy courts. The Web site also says there are other students affected elsewhere in China, as well as in Japan and Korea. On Nov. 13, a complaint signed by 31 of the students was filed with the Economic Crime Investigation Department of the Chaoyang PSB (Public Security Bureau) in Beijing, the local government office that acts as a police station, Kim said. He said he was among a group of students who stayed at the bureau until about 1 a.m., answering questions and giving personal statements.
