Gyeongi English Village Closes After Only 10 Years
Maybe this is the sign that the English language learning fervor in South Korea is beginning to decrease a bit:
Gyeonggi English Village, the first residential English camp in Korea located at Paju and Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, is closing down after a decade of operation.
Gyeonggi English Village, which opened in April 2006, was created to give the public a place to experience English-speaking culture and learn the language in the context of everyday life.
The village has struggled with low attendance. Last year, approximately 22,000 people visited the English Village, or about 610 visitors per day. The village lent out ten of its 17 buildings to other organizations to augment its revenues. With the boom in private language academies and more students travelling abroad for language study, demand for the village’s more carefree classes was undercut. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link.
“Maybe this is the sign that the English language learning fervor in South Korea is beginning to decrease a bit…”
I would say it’s just as strong as it ever was. But what constitutes “learning English” is not what a lot of people might think.
The Gyeonggi English Village was designed to actually teach kids how to communicate in English. However, most Koreans are much more concerned about passing the written college entrance English tests – tests that don’t require actually communicating in English. Since the village doesn’t teach kids how to do well on English entrance exams (which is what a lot of hakwons do) – the village was kind of doomed from the start.
Here’s a video that speaks to this point:
http://www.koreaobserver.com/is-the-korean-college-entrance-english-test-too-tough-for-americans-33070/
@Guitard, you may be right. I can remember volunteering to teach at a Korean Elementary school and the English teacher could not understand a word I said in English. Many KATUSAs as well have a hard time initially understanding spoken English when they initially come in, but they get very proficient by the time they leave.
” I can remember volunteering to teach at a Korean Elementary school…”
And you did that illegally?
” I can remember volunteering to teach at a Korean Elementary school…”
And you did that illegally?
Invited to teach by a government school might be illegal, fretted the guy who illegally squatted in an apartment that did not belong to him, was arrested in Korea for grabassery… and who has a stateside police record with a copy of the police report in his file in Korea, Japan, China, and a couple other countries.
“who has a stateside police record with a copy of the police report in his file in Korea”
Your claims are wrong about me except perhaps the one above if you count my CLEAN FBI report as a “police report?” I’d guess it was in a file at one time or another but I’m not sure if it still is since I haven’t been in S. Korea for quiet some time. But the only reason is because it was/is a requirement for all legal educated language teachers in S. Korea.
I’m still almost positive it was illegal for GI Korea to have taught English [in S. Korea] unless he had an E-2 visa AND got special permission from Korean immigration to “volunteer.” F visa holders also have requirements to follow but heck even the American ambassador to S. Korea taught English illegally so I’d bet chickenhead, other contractors/”active duty” etc…are also guilty of same.
Does tbone really think he has a “clean” FBI record? Does he really think the rest is not there because someone told him?
Heck, the NSA knows everything we type on our PCs. And tbone has spent a lot of time calling them names…
@Tbone, my soldiers and I did nothing illegally and were guests of the elementary school. The elementary school contacted our KATUSAs for native English speakers to speak phrases in a native English to help the kids practice their accents and pronunciation for their annual “English Idol” competition since the English teachers could not speak good English. The soldiers also volunteered to act as judges for their “English Idol” competitions.
And qualified legal language teachers never thought they were doing anything illegal when they volunteered to teach as guests either. But I’m not sure what Kathleen Stephens(former American ambassador to S.Korea) thought when she illegally taught English in S. Korea.
In 2001, there was a modification to the SOFA.
Volunteer (and even paid) English instruction by USKF members and dependents became legal.
The end.
Thought this might be a good spot for a plugin, although its a bit early as the dates haven’t been released yet for this years USFK Good Neighbor English Camp.
https://www.facebook.com/usagyongsan/photos/a.99982627071.87583.32158407071/10153680780247072/?type=3&theater