More students take crash courses abroad

Since 1998, the number of elementary grade level students who have been abroad for short-term English crash courses and those who have pulled out of the Korean school system to prepare for extended studies abroad or for immigration has been increasing.

The ruling Millennium Democratic Party's Rep. Lee Jae-Joung, currently a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, conducted a study of six districts in Seoul including the affluent Kangnam district. According to the study, students who went on crash English courses last winter recorded a mere 218 students compared with the 1,023 students who went abroad during summer vacation.

Students who missed school on consecutive days prior to and after vacation for the purpose of studying abroad numbered 79 in 1998, but increased to 130 n 1999. For this year, the numbers stands at 198 as of the end of September.

The number of students who pulled out of the Korean school system completely in order to study abroad or enroll at international schools stood at 179 in 1998, then increased to 215 in 1999, and as of September, posted 162 students so far this year.

During summer vacation this year, of the 1,023 students who studied abroad, 833 came from three districts Kangnam (303), Seocho (231), and Songpa (299), while only 190 students came from the other three, Kuro (69), Keumchon (55), and Dobong-ku (66), showing a gap by district.

"For study abroad, more than 60% headed for the English speaking nations such as North America and Australia, and most of them for the purpose of early-age English education," Rep. Lee said.

Yun Seung-Mo ysmo@donga.com