I knew there was a political angle to all the English Village stories. The (virulently anti-American) Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union has called the recent string of sexual assaults at Gyeonggi-do English camps a “structural problem brought on by unchecked native speakers.”
The camps have responded by slamming what they consider the one-sided attacks on the quality of their foreign staff.
In a statement, the KTEWU [note: I should point out that it was the union's Gyeonggi-do branch and not the head office] said, “In relation to the sexual assaults at the Seongnam and Ansan English camps, Governor Sohn Hak-kyu said he would prevent recurrences by improving the entire management system of the English camps… But because the English camp sexual assaults are a structural problem brought on by unchecked native speakers, such incidents could potentially occur at any time.”
As basis for their claims, the union cited a) the fact that any native speaker with a degree could become an instructor, regardless of their teaching qualifications; b) native speakers’ relatively free attitudes about sex (and their expression of said attitudes); c) native speakers’ lack of a sense of responsibility, since few feel they are answering a calling, but rather have as their goal to stay for a short time to experience Korean culture and build up their resumes. The union also criticized the large number of students per class.
Gyeonggi-do’s English camps fired back, beginning with what should be completely obvious from both the Seongnam and Ansan sexual assaults—both incidents were allegedly committed by non-native speakers. The Seongnam incident was allegedly committed by a naturalized U.S. citizen who spoke Korean as his first language and was designated a “Korean” instructor [of English] by the camp. The Ansan incident was allegedly committed by a straight-up Korean. Accordingly, the camps explained that while they were quite apologetic for the incidents, to blame them on “unchecked foreigners” was a distortion of the facts (the Korean Teachers Union? Distorting facts? Never!). They also claimed that foreign instructors are examined very closely before being hired.
UPDATE: You can find the email addresses of a number of Korean Teachers Union officials in the comments section. It also appears the union now runs an English-language site (puttin’ the token round-eye to good use, I see), and a union-affiliated English teacher (or teachers) runs an infrequently updated “unofficial” IKTU blog.
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25 Comments
Snoop doggy dogbert, you have the floor.
In cases like this, I think it would be better to reply directly where Koreans can read it and I recommend that anyone interested do so. However, looking at Robert’s most recent post, I’m ready to give up trying to persuade Koreans not to blame non-Koreans for everything under the sun. The nerve of those hotel guests!
The problem is these damn English villages don’t have room salons, massage palors, dabang girls, noraebang girls, or any other appropriate outlets for Korean male stamina.
I actually agree with claims a) and c) but with the metropolitician’s piece on Korea’s sex industry fresh in my mind, b) seems to be especially ridiculous. Or maybe it was mistranslated. Instead of “free attitudes about sex” it should be “attitudes about free sex”.
In case that joke wasn’t funny enough the first two times, I should really take my camera the next time I go out drinking with “qualified” (and unionized [and married]) teachers.
“native speakers’ relatively free attitudes about sex” Quite funny reading that line in light of the Metropolitician’s post the Marmot linked to. I guess “unchecked foreigners” should follow in Koreans’ footsteps and have a relatively uptight, hypocritical attitude about sex.
Here are the email addresses of the president and chieftains of the Korean Teachers Union…
chambb@ktu.or.kr, chambb@ktu.or.kr, beerholic@hanmail.net, krapsh@yahoo.co.kr, 0115448299@naver.com, ajasonthomas@yahoo.ca
Drop them an email and let them know what you think - I just did!
(I especially like how a leader with the email “beerholic@” feels he has the right to pass judgement on other teachers..)
Beerholic is bad enough, but “A. Jason Thomas”, that’s downright frightening!
Does the KTU have a token whitey? Does he wear a hanbok?
I haven’t meant too many Koreans with yahoo.ca accounts. 0115448299 sure looks like a handa pone numbaw.
Yes, the KTU has a token honkey. Has managed even to piss off Incheon Office of Education with an article he wrote in a local paper. Wonder if the union consulted him before making the statement.
Maybe someone should email him and get his comment on this… Well, either than, or else call him, since his phone number is listed on the KTU ‘links’ page.
It seems to be somewhat irresponsible for a teachers’ union to be pointing fingers at anyone, much less a group of people who had (as far as we know) absolutely nothing to do with any of the alleged assaults. The union’s allegations sound pretty preposterous — “English camp sexual assaults are a structural problem brought on by unchecked native speakers.” translation: Them foreign devils is corruptin’ us Koreans. I suppose that’s par for the course, though… Anytime some ‘unsavory’ activity (such as prostitution, homosexuality, etc…) goes on in Korea, there’s always some nutty group claiming that those evil foreigners have, once again, corrupted good old ‘Hanguk’. I can maybe understand that the union might want to advocate for stricter standards for foreign teachers (or actual enforcement of those in place), but to use this issue to promote that just seems irresponsible, bigoted, and unprofessional in the extreme.
Please tell me the “beerholic” address for the teachers union is not a joke.
The teachers’ union is the only “structural problem” in Korea’s education system. Why would hakwons be such a huge industry if not for their incompetence? I’m still disgusted by the “hate Japan” assignment the school in Incheon gave their students–the teachers are such bigots that they didn’t think anyone would take offence with them hanging the kids’ anti-Japan drawings in the local subway station.
Beerholic is nothing. I deal with an individual at a Korean regulatory agency whose e-mail address is “gook” followed by a four-digit number @ (local Korean e-mail service).net.
Aside from the oddity of not using his work e-mail for official business (which led to some blocked e-mails, as that provider is wont to suffer), the man’s name does not even contain the phoneme “gook”. God only knows what he was thinking.
I sent an email to the idiots.
“Dear Idiots,
Are you aware that the men accused of sexual misconduct are Korean?!??! If so, then explain this article in the paper.
The problem is that there were no room salons or massage parlors nearby for the Korean male faculty.
You guys, without exception, are idiots.
I weep for the future of Korean education.
By the way, do you really think ‘beerholic’ is an appropriate and professional id for a member of your ‘organization’?
Take the finger you are pointing at foreign teachers, and point it back at yourselves. Just make sure it’s the middle finger.”
I’ll respond to each of these KTEWU claims. They started this slam on foreigners so here it is - the ugly truth.
“a) the fact that any native speaker with a degree could become an instructor, regardless of their teaching qualifications;”
This meets the advertised qualifications for foreign English teachers.
However, the majority of KTEWU teachers may have an ‘education’ degree in English, and a few are good teachers, but the majority lack a basic grasp and working knowledge of the language and grammar and are usually incapable of teaching an entire immersion-based class, writing class, pronunciation class, etc. Hence the hiring of foreigners.
Basically, any Korean teacher with a degree from a Korean university and a mid-level command of the English language is able to get a professional English Teacher gig for life at Korean schools. It’s a very cushy job compared to Western teachers in the US and elsewhere. Most Korean teachers never even give or correct writing homework assignments and continue to avoid evaluation based on internationally recognized proficiency tests and basic teaching concepts!
They are basically assured their positions for life even though they usually pass on gross mistakes to their students (yet miraculously almost all Korean high school students are allowed to pass somehow). But wait, there’s more! Once in, opportunity abounds with the possibly to earn a lot of extra cash from parents who pass them won-filled envelopes to ‘pay special attention’ (aka don’t fail) to their kids. Korean teachers have been known to double their salary this way. Nice work if you can get it, I’d say!
“b) native speakers’ relatively free attitudes about sex (and their expression of said attitudes);”
Maybe but so what? It doesn’t mean they like to diddle their students. Everybody knows there’s NEVER been a KTEWU teacher gathering where they visited a kayobang or spent a night boozing it up with with hookers.
“c) native speakers’ lack of a sense of responsibility, since few feel they are answering a calling, but rather have as their goal to stay for a short time to experience Korean culture and build up their resumes.
Even the laziest foreign English teachers almost always hold degrees from real universities where you had to do some real work to graduate. Many also worked their own way through school and moved out of mom and dad’s house before age 25.
Having ‘One year in Korea” on your resume, even at a ‘big’ Korean university, has little value in the real ESL/EFL world. Some foreign teachers I know even leave Korea off their resumes due to the known poor educational standards here. Refer to a) regarding responsibility to their profession.
Here’s the link I got the addresses from:
http://english.eduhope.net/links.htm
Mook wrote:
“However, the majority of KTEWU teachers may have an ‘education’ degree in English, and a few are good teachers, but the majority lack a basic grasp and working knowledge of the language and grammar and are usually incapable of teaching an entire immersion-based class, writing class, pronunciation class, etc. Hence the hiring of foreigners.”
I’d say a “few” is pretty generous. I’ve met, heard, spoken to, and known many Koreans with degrees in “English”, for the vast majority (95%) of them, it’s simply impossible to believe they are qualified to teach English at any level of instruction.
Beyond that, most universities in SE Asia (Japan, Korea & Taiwan) are just diploma mills and simply horrible (perhaps similar to junior or community colleges in the States), with the exception of the top-tiered schools. e.g., Todai, Kyodai, Kyudai, Hodai, Waseda, Keio, Seoul NU, Yonsei, EWHA, Korea Univ, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, Taiwan Univ, Cheng Kung and Central Univ. Of course you need to be an aristocrat, or from new money to attend one of these top-tiered schools.
Remort,
“Beyond that, most universities in SE Asia (Japan, Korea & Taiwan) are just diploma mills and simply horrible (perhaps similar to junior or community colleges in the States), with the exception of the top-tiered schools. e.g., Todai, Kyodai, Kyudai, Hodai, Waseda, Keio, Seoul NU, Yonsei, EWHA, Korea Univ, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, Taiwan Univ, Cheng Kung and Central Univ.”
Fair enough Remort, I know I was perhaps being overgenerous regarding their English ability and teaching qualifications. However, you’re also being equally kind if you think SNU and other top Korean universities are much different from the standard degree mills you mentioned.
There are certainly some excellent universities in Asia-Pacific (Tokyo University, ANU, etc.) but you’re fooling yourself if you think SNU, Yonsei, etc. come even close to decent western universities. Very different standard are at play in the Korean education sysytem whether it be high schools or their ‘top’ universities.
Getting IN to the big Korean schools may be more difficult than for most other Korean unis, but once in, the same principles of rubber stamp degree, Confucianism deference, acceptance of widespread plagiarism, lax administration etc. come in to play. Students admitted may find it’s difficult to be failed. Even the top Korean schools are far, far behind the standards (not to mention rankings) of most western unis. Hopefully they’ll wake up and realize they have a very long way to go before they can begin to criticize foreign teachers’ supposed (lack of) qualifications.
Dear Marmot readers.
The list of things you can learn here are endless. I’m sure you had no idea that Korea, Japan, and Taiwan were a part of SE Asia.
(Just kidding, Remort. I’m sure it was typo. Right?)
Ugh. Try to be witty and end up looking like an idiot.
I’m sure it was “a” typo.
korea’s only competitive higher education institute is KAIST, and it is solely tech-based. there are no general universities that are globally competitive or even competitive throughout asia when compared to japan, singapore, hong kong and most recently the better indian schools.
Mook,
Thanks for the reply and insight. I had incorrectly assumed things would be different at “top universities” in Korea; my impressions were largely formed by what students attending these schools conveyed to me.
It does irritate me, a lot in fact, to hear criticism about “unqualified American English teachers” being the root of all evil in SE Asia, having graduated from some of the top universities in the world — while living abroad can be fun at times, all in all it’s certainly no picnic. I know I had to really work hard for my bachelor’s degree. Admittedly, graduate school was way more relaxed, but still a ton of work.
Based on people I’ve known, I am suspicious as to how good of an education is provided at Seoul National University, or other “top Asian universities” given their educational system is based on Japan’s. This seems to me to simply be a 4 year vacation; in the case of Taiwanese and Koreans, with a 2 year stint of military service (24, 26, or 28 months in Korea, 2 months of boot camp and 22 or 24 months of assignment in Taiwan) and a short break from living with their parents thrown in for added fun. I simply couldn’t believe what I had witnessed in Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese universities, the level of expectation is next to nil with people showing up to classes when it was convenient for them. However, I did find it pretty interesting that the students went out drinking with their professors.
Iceberg,
I’ll happily accept an Iceberg comment or typo anyday. Don’t worry, Marmot hasn’t put these comments in book form yet.
“South East Asia” isn’t too bad of a name. But, personally, I like the phrases “Pacific rim”, “Asian theatre/theater”, and “North Pacific” more.
BTW, when are you going to be back in Seoul?
–Remort
SE Asia begins with Vietnam, Laos and Burma. You are talking about NE Asia, Remort.
Remort wrote:
Beyond that, most universities in SE Asia (Japan, Korea & Taiwan) are just diploma mills and simply horrible (perhaps similar to junior or community colleges in the States)
It does irritate me, a lot in fact, to hear criticism about “unqualified American English teachers” being the root of all evil in SE Asia
Psst… superior American university graduate, Korea and Japan are in Northeast Asia. Taiwan, too, from a geo-political standpoint.
Since you repeated the apparent error, I guess it isn’t a typo. I hope you don’t mind an aristocrat from a top-tiered Korean school correcting your knowledge of geography. If so, a thousand apologies, sir or ma’am.
In defense of Remort, I imagine English teachers are the root of all evil in SE Asia as well.
BTW, when are you going to be back in Seoul?
I’m hoping to head up there for a short visit in a couple of weeks.
I am an american who was working as an english teacher in seoul last august when a KOREAN man broke into my house, violently attacked me and assaulted me. I was told by the police and by my school that they didn’t want to put anything in the news about this, or even in essence, try to find the man because it would make “all korean men look crazy” . Yeah, but it is ok to try to pen the “crazy sex fiends” on foreigners. I am disgusted by their ignorance
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[...] Jason Thomas, the Canadian English teacher who made the news by becoming the Korean Teachers and Educational Worker’s Union’s first foreign member, has apparently quit the union over a recent statement by the KTU’s Gyeonggi-do office claiming recent sexual assaults at two provincial English camps represented a “structural problem” owing to under-qualified, over-sexed foreign instructors. On his blog, he writes: First, I’ll attempt to explain what I think Gyeonggi KTU was doing with the release. [...]
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[...] An influx of young globe-trotting native speakers financing their travels by teaching their mother tongue (sound familiar?). Oh no! Better watch out for the pedophiles and lock up your daughters. [...]