English as Official language in Korean?

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From koreaherald news

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2005/10/24/200510240021.asp

 [EDITORIAL] English as official language

 The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development has disclosed a
plan to make English an official language in the three free economic zones
- Incheon, Busan-Jinhae and Gwangyang - and the free international city of
Jeju. For this, the ministry plans to introduce what it calls an English
immersion program in elementary and middle schools in the four regions
from 2008. An English immersion program refers to teaching regular
subjects such as science and math in English so that students can absorb
the language naturally.

The ministry`s plan has triggered debate as it represented the
government`s first policy initiative to promote English as an official
language. Yet opponents challenge its legitimacy because, three years ago,
the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which is responsible for setting the
government`s language policy, declared that it would not allow the
adoption of English as an official language under any circumstances.
Critics also question the wisdom of the idea. Using English as an official
language, they say, calls for considerable investment in human
infrastructure as it requires issuing all public documents both in Korean
and English and enhancing the English skills of officials at public
agencies and employees at service establishments.

The question is whether the investment is worth making. Opponents maintain
that adopting English as an official language makes little contribution to
enhancing national competitiveness. If a nation`s level of English skill
determines its competitiveness, so goes the argument, the Philippines
should have joined the ranks of advanced countries, while Japan should
have been dropped from the list of developed nations. Proponents of the
ministry`s scheme stress the importance of enhancing people`s English
skills to attract foreign investment. They point to surveys of foreign
investors who cite the language barrier as one of the main factors that
discourage them from investing in Korea.

Advocates also refute the argument that a nation`s level of
English-speaking ability has little bearing on its competitiveness. They
argue that better English skill will give Koreans more chances to realize
their potential in the global arena, which in turn will contribute to the
development of society in general. Despite their differences on adopting
English as an official language, the two sides agree on the need to reform
the traditional, test-oriented teaching of English in schools. We are of
the same opinion. The focus on grammar and reading comprehension ability
should be balanced by emphasis on communication skills.

In this respect, the ministry`s plan to introduce an English immersion
program is a well-advised move. We believe this new approach to teaching
English provides a starting point for efforts toward adopting English as
an official language.


2005.10.24