Yonsei Dean Expects More English Classes at Korean Universities

……. South Korean universities will introduce more English classes in their curriculums as proficiency in the language becomes increasingly important in the workplace, said the dean of Yonsei School of Business. ``It's a global language,'' Kim Tae Hyun said in an Oct. 31 interview in Seoul. ``It's the general trend for Korean universities to increase the number of lectures offered in English.'' …………``The degree of globalization of companies is very strong,'' Kim said. ``In that sense, everybody must learn English and must speak English very fluently.'' ………., 64 percent of the 1,075 South Koreans surveyed said they were stressed at work because they had insufficient English. ……….the growing importance of English is prompting South Korean students to head abroad to learn the language. In the year ended March 31, 2007, 52 percent of the 217,959 students who went abroad for university or higher level education went to the U.S., U.K., Australia and other English-speaking countries, the Education Ministry said. Twenty percent traveled to China. Four years ago, 159,903 went abroad to study. Yonsei's Kim said more English-language classes will help reduce the financial burden of studying overseas. [View Full Article]