The Lee Myung-bak Administration Seeks English-Friendly Barrack Culture
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The presidential transition committee is studying ways to provide more English language programs for soldiers as part of its policy goal of building an English-friendly society, a committee member said Sunday.
The team is collecting opinions from experts and security-related organizations on measures to upgrade English education for men and women in uniform, he added.
``We've asked some opinion groups through informal channels to suggest ideas on ways to provide greater opportunities for service members to help them hone their English proficiency during their service, as well as to review English education programs in place,'' the member said, on condition of anonymity.
``Providing quality English-learning programs, I believe, would not only help soldiers develop themselves during their mandatory service period, but also contribute to upgrading the country's global competitiveness in the long term,'' he said.
South Korea maintains a compulsory conscript system under which able-bodied men over 19 must serve in the military for 24-27 months. The mandatory service is an unavoidable source of trouble for young men, as they must suspend studies in colleges or quit their jobs.
Brig. Gen. Kwon Doo-hwan, the Defense Ministry's chief policymaker on soldiers' welfare, said the ministry has not yet received any official directive yet from the transition team on new English programs.
However, the ministry is reviewing various ways to upgrade existing English education programs for soldiers, Kwon said.
``Given that English is a must in this global era, we are planning to provide more and better English programs both online and offline to soldiers by upgrading existing programs or developing new education contents.''
Kwon cited the ``e-Learning'' portal system, initiated in 2005, which provides more than 300 online education programs developed by the Military Mutual Aid Association, to soldiers.
The military has installed about 40,000 personal computers at more than 4,000 Internet cafes, named ``Cyber Knowledge-Information Rooms,'' in company-level units nationwide, a ministry official said.
The establishment of the online education infrastructure will be completed by the end of this year, he said.
Through the e-Learning system, soldiers are able to take regular courses online for up to six college credits per year.
High-school graduates can take online education programs including foreign language and national qualification courses, or apply to cyber universities.
About 80 courses on military skills are now available for soldiers to obtain college credits.
The military has also run a program under which service members can have a five-day experience in English immersion villages.
Under the program signed between the Defense Ministry and Gyeonggi Province in 2005, about 2,200 soldiers have enrolled in two English immersion villages in Paju and Ansan since 2006, as of last December.
This year, about 1,350 servicemen will undergo English training in the Paju English Town, said Major Wi Sang-beom of the ministry's camp culture improvement team.
``Most soldiers are satisfied with the English immersion program, as they can learn practical English skills and conversation techniques useful for their daily lives,'' Wi said.
He said the ministry is considering allowing soldiers' families to participate in the immersion program with their sons to help enhance their English skills and to offer them the opportunity to spend time together.
Some military units invite native English teachers for English conversation classes for soldiers on a regular basis, he said.
In addition, the ministry plans to promote English-learning classes with U.S. servicemen here via exchange programs, ministry officials said. About 27,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Korea.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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