[Eye on English] Test scores don’t guarantee English skills

Song Min-ho, a recent English graduate of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, recalled how he was baffled when he first encountered a native English speaker. Despite his respectable TOEIC score, he was unable to open his mouth.“My head just went blank like a piece of paper,” the 29-year-old said. Song, who had never studied abroad, said that his top grades in high school hardly helped. If anything, it hindered him. “Studying English felt like math, with teachers telling us to remember all sort

NationalFeb. 5, 2014

[Eye on English] ‘English exam should change to focus on communication’

An English education expert called for a major change in the English section of the 2-decade-old state college entrance exam to encourage test-takers to focus more on their communication skills.Kim Tae-young, a professor at Chung-Ang University, stressed the change is vital, particularly when Korea is transforming into a creative participant in global affairs from a passive follower of what advanced countries have already imposed on the world.“The current college entrance exam does not test spea

NationalFeb. 5, 2014

[Eye on English] Families separate for overseas education

In November, a man in his 50s committed suicide in his house in Incheon. He was a “goose father,” one of about 200,000 Korean dads who send their families abroad for their kids’ education, while remaining in Korea to work.The electrical engineer had sent his kids and wife to the U.S. in 2009. But shortly after they left, the man lost his job. He lived off unemployment benefits and savings, sending most of it to his family in the U.S. His wife worked at a restaurant there to support the children.

NationalJan. 22, 2014

[Eye on English] For Korean moms, family separation is sometimes ‘necessary’ sacrifice

A 39-year-old housewife surnamed Shin recently decided to apply for a visa to Canada for herself and her children. She plans to stay for up to two years so her kids can go to local schools. She will also have to take on the “father role” as her husband will be staying in Korea to financially support them. “I am taking my kids to Canada for my children to get an English education. I plan to stay in Canada just long enough for my children to master English,” she told The Korea Herald by phone. Stu

CultureJan. 22, 2014

[Eye on English] English fluency required for better life

Kim Yoon-jeong makes her son study with his teacher who visits her home from a language institution for one-on-one tutoring once a week, and allocates an hour every other day of the week to studying the language online.This is “the least” she says she can do for her son, when compared with other fourth-graders whose parents commonly send them to institutions or have them study at home with a tutor every day.Anything more than once-a-week home tutoring would cost extra and would be further burden

IndustryJan. 8, 2014

[Eye on English] International schools alternative to overseas study

International schools have long been favored by the nation’s affluent students as an alternative to studying overseas and as a means to enter top U.S. colleges.International schools in Korea were originally set up to educate the children of foreign employees or Korean students who had studied overseas due to their parents’ jobs. Thus, the applicants must have foreign nationality or have lived overseas for at least three years. Annual tuition fees are generally more than 20 million won ($19,000)

IndustryJan. 8, 2014

[Eye on English] For Koreans, English used as mark of status

For Koreans, English is much more than a lingua franca. It is a crucial measure of personal marketability, intelligence and even academic assiduity that would facilitate their entry into top-tier schools and high-paying professions, and their rise up the corporate ladder.Since the 1990s when the government’s mantra of globalization resonated throughout the whole country, English skills have become a vital means of survival in Korea’s hypercompetitive society.Most students and job-seekers have sp

Social AffairsDec. 30, 2013

[Eye on English] English fever needs cooling

Kim So-yeon, a 23-year-old college student, spends two to three hours each day memorizing English expressions, doing listening exercises and reading English news articles.She also routinely takes the TOEIC, one of the popular English proficiency tests, every three months, hoping to get a higher score to make her resume look better.“I go to a hagwon (private institute) for the test and spend more than 350,000 won ($332) a month just for English,” said the senior at Sogang University.“I don’t thin

Social AffairsDec. 30, 2013