Busan Global Village, where visitors learn English with native speakers, was founded by Busan Metropolitan City and its Office of Education in 2009. Newsis
Korean language supporters decry city government's efforts to become English-friendly
By Ko Dong-hwan
The quest to learn English has been one of the pillars of education for Koreans of all ages for decades. Different municipalities across the country have introduced various measures to make English education more accessible and enjoyable to the broader public.
One program that created a boom was the introduction of English villages, educational theme parks where visitors could meet native English speakers in person and practice basic conversation. Their popularity declined from about a decade ago and many of them have since shut down, becoming but a vestige of the past.
Busan is now turning a new page. The city government, following Mayor Park Heong-joon's pledge made while running for re-election last June, is pushing forward with making English the city's new "common language." The move was also confirmed during the mayor's interview with The Korea Times in July. He said in the interview it will also help the city win its bid to host the World Expo 2030.
The problem is that there has been a growing number of protests against the move, raising concerns that if English usage is increased, it might interfere in the preservation and promotion of the Korean language.
But Busan Metropolitan City told The Korea Times on Thursday that they will continue advocating for the use of English.
"It seems that the term 'common language' is confusing to some people who mix it up with 'official language,'" said Na Yun-bin, a spokesperson of Mayor Park. "The principal goal is that we make Busan a city where English can be used more conveniently without affecting the use of Korean by members of the public."
The authority has begun hiring private firms to take preliminary steps for the execution of the plan. One of the steps is surveying the opinions of city residents about the use of English in their daily lives.
Students at Busan Global Village learn how to use English in an airplane in a lesson provided by Air Busan, 2009. Korea Times file
Facing rising criticism from those opposed, the city government has also rolled out an FAQ sheet to address the complaints. It said the initiative considers use of Korean to be "most essential" while English has a "supplementary" function to help people in specific situations where English can be helpful. The sheet also explains that public services will better cater to foreign visitors by showing both Korean and English in official administrative forms and publications for certain government bureaus or public places where multilingual services are needed.
As to one of the concerns from critics that the initiative could force people to spend more money than before on learning English, the sheet explained that people have already been doing so for years. It cited data from the Ministry of Education showing that the number of people learning English at private language academies in metropolitan cities before entering university or college jumped from 7.9 percent in 2017 to 11 percent in 2021.
The city also said that Busan's latest education initiative will be different from past ones by other municipalities in the country that ultimately failed. "Our initiative will be limited to public institutions and places in need of English for official purposes as well as those interested in learning English, so that the policy can focus effectively on selective areas," the sheet explained.
"The big English Village in Paju went bust. What we aim to do here won't be as big as that but rather a smaller educational center that provides easier access to the public, particularly for those who couldn't afford to study English privately," Na said. "Besides, Busan currently has Busan Global Village, an English Village that has proven to be the most successful in the country."
Busan Global Village is operated independently by KNN, a regional broadcaster covering Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, under the city government.
Representatives of civic groups from across the nation that advocate the use of Korean protest against Busan Metropolitan City's plan to introduce English as a common language, Aug. 29. Yonhap
Protests still in action
Lee Keon-bum, the president of Urimal, an NGO based in Seoul's Mapo District that promotes the use of Korean, leads an association of over 100 likeminded civic groups from across the country. They have come together to demand Busan Metropolitan City cancel the initiative that it claims will eventually affect use of Korean among the city's residents.
Lee told The Korea Times, Thursday, that the association has begun collecting online support for their anti-English move. Thirty-four of those groups that are based in Busan will participate in a one-person relay protest in front of Busan City Hall.
"We will also take a survey among Busan residents to see what they think about the city government's controversial plan," Lee said. "And we will hand the survey result to Mayor Park when we hold another big rally in front of the city government on Oct. 6."
The association on Aug. 29 rallied in front of Busan City Hall and released a joint statement condemning the city government's measure on broader use of English. The statement called the measure "good for nothing" and "impractical in all senses." It criticized the city government's "abusive use" of English instead of Korean in naming public venues and in administrative dictions. It also argued the city is "excessively" using foreign languages in guiding foreigners in the city at public facilities including the transportation system.
"From public places like Diamond Bridge, Human Bridge and Moontan Road to local residential communities like Centum City, Marine City and Eco Delta City, official naming in the city is being dominated by English and people's concerns are rising," the statement said. "Forcing English as a common language at this point already inundated with the language will inevitably create an invisible wall to members of the public who aren't familiar with English."
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