Understanding the Importance of English Education in South Korea and Exploring the Reasons Why South Korean Students Come to a University in the Midwest

The problem of South Korean English education.  Learning a second language, 
especially English, takes numerous years of training to become a fluent and native 
speaker.  Moreover, the Korean Ministry of Education may expect that their students 
would significantly improve their English abilities through public education.  As 
previously stated, students in Korea are required to take English courses through the 
public schools.  In addition, many Korean parents support their children to send them to 
private English institutions as well.  Nunan (2003) stated,  
in most of [the Koreans] surveyed, the luckier students, particularly those in the 
early years, will receive only an average of 50-60 hours of English Language 
instruction a year, which is probably less than what is needed for significant 
progress in a foreign language. (p. 608) 
 
Therefore, this situation definitely makes Korean parents want to send their children to 
private English institutes.  In addition, some of families who are able to support their 
children’s English education would like to place their children into public or private 
schools located in the U.S., England, Canada, and Australia.  
Interestingly, the Korean Ministry of Education may not hire many English 
teachers who are from the English-speaking countries.  Instead of hiring the native 
English-speaking teachers, Korean educational governments generally hire English 
teachers who are the same respective nationality (e.g., the Korean Ministry of Education 
hires Korean English teachers).  In other words, those teachers, especially those who are 
majoring in Secondary English Education, may not be as effectively trained as teachers 
who are from the English-speaking countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, 
the United Kingdom, and so forth.  

---

12 
 
Many foreign English teachers who are not from the English-speaking countries 
may only focus on specific subject areas, such as reading and grammar, because they are 
not familiar with English speaking and conversation, writing, and listening.  Nunan (2003) 
said, “In [Korea], informants spoke frankly of the fact that the quality of English 
language education in the public sector was so poor that ‘no one learns English in school’” 
(p. 606).  The above statement asserts that the quality of English education may be 
suspicious and lacking because of fewer qualified teachers who are native English 
speakers and inappropriate training for native teachers who are hired by public schools 
and private institutions in Korea.  Establishing English education is a requirement in 
Korea, and it is challenging for students to improve their English proficiency through the 
systems of their public and private schools because there are not many appropriately 
trained English teachers from their nation or the English-speaking countries.  
As a result of the above reasons, many Korean students consider studying abroad 
in the English-speaking countries.  They may want to be fully exposed to English by 
being surrounded by native English speakers while they stay in one of the English-
speaking countries.  For these reasons, Korean students want to come to American 
colleges and universities to effectively learn English and improve proficiency to the level 
of a native speaker.