Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, compiled these statements from interviews with refugees.
Q: Many North Korean refugees struggle to learn English. Many refugees who drop out of college cite English as a major reason. What was the moment you realized you needed to learn English to adjust to life in South Korea?
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Eun-shil, female, arrived in South Korea in 2013
When I was in North Korea, I hated English. After learning about how terrible Americans were, I would feel disgusted using their language. We were taught to learn English so we could use it to confront Americans, but if we were supposed to kill them, did we really need to speak to them in fluent English?
Once I began preparing for university study here, I realized how important English was. I remember reading something online ― "If you give up math, you are giving up going to a university. If you give up English, you are giving up your life."
When I had an entrance exam interview, I had to read and then explain the meaning of an article in English. I admitted that I couldn't do it, that this moment made me realize that I had study English like crazy. I escaped from North Korea, so English would be possible if I made up my mind to learn it.
I initially avoided English so my class choices were limited. Finally I had to take a class that was English-based. I felt humiliated because I couldn't understand even one chapter in the assigned book. I remember crying in front of the professor when I had my first English exam, and then when I got an F for the class.
I have learned that people who can't speak English can't survive here. And people around me make me feel responsible, because the other North Korean refugees who studied at my university struggled with English. If I fail, then in the future they will have an excuse to reject North Korean refugees.
Tae-seong, male, arrived in South Korea in 2006
When I was in North Korea, I had been promoted to a high status and didn't need English in my life. I struggled so much when I arrived here, I didn't realize that English was so necessary. It seemed that I had such bad luck with English; somehow it even seemed that foreigners who were lost would target me when they needed help with directions. I could only explain "up" or "down" and use body language.
Konglish was everywhere. Koreans were speaking Korean to me, but it was Korean Konglish. Not only was I getting used to so many new things, but it seemed that I had to learn them in Korean, Konglish and proper English. Strawberry yogurt, with Korean pronunciation, was the word that amused me for some reason. Strawberry in Korean is so simple, but in Korean pronunciation, the word never seemed to end.
My accent was also a concern. At one job, a Korean customer reported me as a "suspicious person." He thought my way of talking was so strange. But I didn't want to tell them that I was from North Korea; I didn't want that to be an excuse, I just had to do my best.
Q: Many North Korean refugees struggle to learn English. Many refugees who drop out of college cite English as a major reason. What was the moment you realized you needed to learn English to adjust to life in South Korea?
――――――――――-
Eun-shil, female, arrived in South Korea in 2013
When I was in North Korea, I hated English. After learning about how terrible Americans were, I would feel disgusted using their language. We were taught to learn English so we could use it to confront Americans, but if we were supposed to kill them, did we really need to speak to them in fluent English?
Once I began preparing for university study here, I realized how important English was. I remember reading something online ― "If you give up math, you are giving up going to a university. If you give up English, you are giving up your life."
When I had an entrance exam interview, I had to read and then explain the meaning of an article in English. I admitted that I couldn't do it, that this moment made me realize that I had study English like crazy. I escaped from North Korea, so English would be possible if I made up my mind to learn it.
I initially avoided English so my class choices were limited. Finally I had to take a class that was English-based. I felt humiliated because I couldn't understand even one chapter in the assigned book. I remember crying in front of the professor when I had my first English exam, and then when I got an F for the class.
I have learned that people who can't speak English can't survive here. And people around me make me feel responsible, because the other North Korean refugees who studied at my university struggled with English. If I fail, then in the future they will have an excuse to reject North Korean refugees.
Tae-seong, male, arrived in South Korea in 2006
When I was in North Korea, I had been promoted to a high status and didn't need English in my life. I struggled so much when I arrived here, I didn't realize that English was so necessary. It seemed that I had such bad luck with English; somehow it even seemed that foreigners who were lost would target me when they needed help with directions. I could only explain "up" or "down" and use body language.
Konglish was everywhere. Koreans were speaking Korean to me, but it was Korean Konglish. Not only was I getting used to so many new things, but it seemed that I had to learn them in Korean, Konglish and proper English. Strawberry yogurt, with Korean pronunciation, was the word that amused me for some reason. Strawberry in Korean is so simple, but in Korean pronunciation, the word never seemed to end.
My accent was also a concern. At one job, a Korean customer reported me as a "suspicious person." He thought my way of talking was so strange. But I didn't want to tell them that I was from North Korea; I didn't want that to be an excuse, I just had to do my best.
