Korean Job Discussion Forums

[charlieDD]

MOD EDIT

In a news report, I read that the Taliban captors made the Korean hostages speak English when speaking with anyone outside, such as Korean embassy contacts.

I asked whether the Koreans would be thanking their English teachers for helping them survive in an international situation.

And I suggested that it wouldn't be too long before some ESL textbook would come out in Korea somehow taking advantage of the situation.

I'll add now: If one or more of the students went to a particular hagwon, you can bet that school is going to let everyone know about it.


Sound offensive?


My suggestion is based on things I've observed from reading early copies of the Korea Herald, from the early 90's. For example, . . . When the SamPoong department store collapsed, one of the survivors told a news reporter she kept thinking of iced lemon tea when she was under the rubble for several days. Within weeks, according to the news report, iced lemon tea, a not so popular drink before then, was being produced by all the major beverage producers and some even made reference to the SamPoong survivor's words. And, when a young man was later pulled from the rubble even several days later, the Korean bottlers of Coca-Cola approached him at the hospital and paid him to say he was thinking of Coke while he was trapped.

When a Japanese student was shot in the early 90's in Alabama because he didn't understand the command "Freeze!" . . several ESL books were published in Korea related to street survival in America . . things about guns, gang slang, etc.

The publishers and hagwons in Korea, from my observation, will exploit anything that promises to make a profit for them. If they see a chance to make money on the hostage situation, . . I believe they will.

Anyone can think of another example?

[Leslie Cheswyck]

Reminds me of this.

[The Bobster]

[Sincinnatislink]

Only Koreans are tasteless in their pursuit of cash.

DUUUUH.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It's a horrible thought, but the idea of forcing Koreans to speak English to each other at gun-point does make me smile.

[nautilus]