FKI Calls for English Education Reform

The federation of Korean industries (FKI) has called on Education Minister Kim Shin-il to adopt a new English education system in order to promote Korean students’ English proficiency level.

Claiming that “Korean people are among the least competent English speakers even in the Asian region, and college graduates deserve no higher than an F grade for their English speaking competency, which is not enough to use at work at all,” Kim Yoon, the president of Samyang Corporation and chairman of the special committee for educational development in the FKI, suggested the idea at a breakfast meeting with Educational Minister Kim and other key business figures in the FKI building in Yeouido, Seoul.

Kim stated, “Koreans start learning English even in elementary school, but our English ability is very limited,” and demanded that the right surroundings be fostered “in order to learn the international language in our daily lives and develop a new English education system designed to improve the fluency in English.”

The FKI also argued that amid the high unemployment rate of the highly educated, the paucity of skilled human resources for research and development in companies continues to heighten, and proposed that the enrollment quota in college department and college curriculums correspond to the needs of the companies.

Kim, in response, stated, “The education and human resources ministry is considering the adoption of a new English test other than TOEIC and TOEFL,” adding, “We will continue to do our utmost to balance the English education between academic development and practical use.”

buddy@donga.com