ACADEMIC LIFE IN KOREA (Part II): South Korea, why do you invite foreign students to study in your country if you don’t want them here?

… so to speak.

Note: In these series of articles I will present my views of the GOOD, THE PRETTY, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY of being a foreign student in Korea.  I am only addressing the “studying in Korea” topic, not the “living in Korea” topic. Also, it is based on my PERSONAL experience so it may be somewhat biased (although I will try to be as objective as possible).  I sincerely hope that through my experiences and accounts many prospect students, especially Panamanian students, can weigh on the balance the pros and cons of studying in Korea and can make the best decision for them.

I will resume the topic from my previous post, but first, I would like to clarify the meaning behind the dramatic title for this article.

 In reality, it is not true that Korea does not want foreign students on its ground.  On the contrary, Korea offers a vast array of cultural activities for foreign students and foreigners in general.  Especially the big cities, such as Seoul and Busan, are so vibrant and full of life, cultural, and popular entertainment that, as I mentioned in my previous article, it is FANTASTIC to be a foreign student in Korea.  Even within the high-education institutions, many Universities (some more than others, and some that do not really provide anything for foreigners) offer mentor and buddy programs, have different clubs and activities where international students can participate and make Korean friends, provide international student services, prepare cultural events, and offer language-exchange programs.  However, within the ACADEMIC SETTING; in other words, within the Department, the major, and the classroom itself, Korea is not so welcoming for international students, ESPECIALLY, international students with limited Korean skills.  As a matter of fact, the attitude and behavior of SOME members of the faculty and SOME Korean students within the classroom can make you feel that foreign students ARE NOT WELCOMED; hence, the title of this article.

As I explained in my previous article, the international student body of Korea is divided into two classes: a) The ones who are proficient in Korean, and therefore, can perform their academic tasks in Korean, and b) the ones who are very limited in Korean proficiency, and therefore, cannot perform their academic tasks in Korean.

The first group of students are usually students WHO HAD ALREADY STUDIED KOREAN IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES FOR SEVERAL YEARS, who had worked with Koreans for a long time, who have had plenty of contact with Koreans because their countries have a big Korean community, or their countries have very strong political and economic ties with Korea; or plain and simple, they are students who are one of those rare cases of language-talented geniuses that are able to master a language in one year or less no matter how complicated that language may be.  The students from the second group, on the other hand, do not know ANY KOREAN or only know a few expressions that they have learned from dramas or songs; they have not had ANY CONTACT with Koreans or the contact has been very limited, and have not had the opportunity to study Korean in advanced because, PLAIN AND SIMPLY, THERE ARE NO FORMAL KOREAN CLASSES in their countries. 

Obviously, the first group of students can adapt and perform better within ALL-KOREAN departments, and they are regarded better by the Korean professors and Korean students; they are perceived as more competent and more interested in the Korean culture than the students from the second group.  Now, I am not stating that everything is easy for fluent-Korean-speaking students, or that studying in Korea is a walk in the park for them; but at least, they do not get pressured, criticized, and ridiculed in front of the class for not speaking Korean or not being able perform in Korean. 

The students from the second group are constantly compared to the foreign students from the first group.  Since those students are actually able to write their reports and make their presentations in Korean (even if it is a broken Korean or not perfect Korean), they set the bar, with which all other foreign students are going to be measured against, very high.  This creates a problem because limited-Korean-speaking students are then expected to perform at the same level of proficiency of fluent-Korean-speaking students, which puts them under a lot of pressure and emotional distress.

Korean professors FAIL TO UNDERSTAND that there is a huge difference between these two groups of students.  Also, they FAIL to understand that there is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between foreign students in Korea, and foreign students in America, for example.  Foreign students in America are accepted into Colleges and Universities because THEY ALREADY KNOW ENGLISH.  Therefore, ALL FOREIGN students admitted into high-education institutes in the United States START WITH AN EQUAL FOOTING.  THEY ALREADY KNOW ENOUGH ENGLISH before getting into College, which is not the case in Korea.  Korea accepts students who only studied Korean for one year into their high-education programs; one year of Korean language studies is not enough to pursue a degree in Korean. 

Unfortunately, because Korean professors FAIL to understand this, they also compare international students with limited Korean skills to Korean students who go to study abroad.  “But, Koreans also have a hard time when they study abroad.” “It is also difficult for Koreans to write reports in English and make presentations in English, but they do it… at least they try; so there is no excuse for you.” These and similar expressions are constantly thrown to the face of limited-Korean-speaking students.

Not only do limited-Korean-speaking students get compared to other international students who are fluent in Korean, to Koreans who are fluent in other languages and study abroad in high-education institutions; but also, THEY GET COMPARED TO THE KOREAN PROFESSORS THEMSELVES.  Since many of these professors also studied abroad, they compare themselves to the limited-Korean-speaking student, and regard students, who cannot perform in Korean as lazy or as wanting to take the easy road when in reality, those students work twice as hard as proficient-Korean-speaking students and Korean students. 

It seems that these Korean professors CONVENIENTLY FORGET that before they went to study abroad, they spent, AT LEAST, 5 YEARS OR MORE studying English or whichever language they wanted to target.  (I mean, seriously, let us not try to cover the sun with one finger.  It is well known around the World how obsessive Koreans can be with education and how they spend hours and hours studying a language since elementary school, middle school, high school, PLUS “hagwons” , or language institutes.)  If, by any chance Koreans are not fluent in English or any other language, and they go to study abroad, usually, it is PRECISELY TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE, not to enroll in a Master or Doctorate degree program, which is precisely the MAIN DIFFERENCE between them and the limited-Korean-speaking international students.

These students are in Korea to pursue A DEGREE PROGRAM, not to study the language.  In the case of government scholarship students, they are offered a ONE YEAR Korean language program so they can SURVIVE within the Korean society, not for them to be able to PURSE A DEGREE IN KOREAN.  Or, are Koreans really THAT NAIVE?  Do they really think their language can be learned, let me correct, MASTERED in one year???  Especially for foreigners whose language structure is completely different from Korean, do they REALLY BELIEVE those students can become fluent in Korean in ONE YEAR?  As I mentioned before, except for those few rare exceptions, it is obvious that is PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

Aside from this, limited-Korean-students are judge by SOME Koreans to be only interested in K-Dramas, K-pop, and Korean celebrities, and that they do not really care for the Korean culture and society; reason why they don’t know Korean.  How far from the truth is that.  Of course, some internationals students only care about those types of things, but it is not the case with the majority of international students. 

These Koreans do not even STOP to think for a moment (it seems to me; I may be wrong) when they interact with foreigners who cannot speak Korean, that perhaps those foreigners have only been here for a few months or a year at the most; hence, reason why they still cannot speak Korean.  They assume –as I read in an article written by a student or faculty from KAIST—that the moment an international scholar finishes the language course, THEY DO NOT CONTINUE the Korean language study; hence, reason why they still cannot speak Korean.  They don’t stop to think for a moment, that once a scholarship student moves onto his actual major, he or she NO LONGER HAS THE TIME TO CONTINUE WITH FORMAL KOREAN LANGUAGE COURSES; and that in spite of that, they always try to make the time to continue to learn Korean because those students ARE VERY WELL AWARE THAT the more Korean they know, the more pleasant and comfortable their life in Korea will be.

Cut from the article from Kaist that severly criticizes limited-Korean-Speakers

In sum, as you can see, LIMITED-KOREAN-SPEAKING STUDENTS face harsh criticism from Korean professors, Korean students, and Koreans in general.  ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT, THE ENTIRE KOREAN POPULATION IS NOT LIKE THAT.  There are some Koreans that are so warm and understanding that they can literally bring you to tears of joy and gratefulness.  However, the underlying perception, the prevailing assumption, is that limited-Korean-Speaking students do not try hard enough.

Now, I may be completely wrong in everything I have said so far.  However, there is an undeniable truth that can always be perceived by BODY LANGUAGE, which is more powerful than words.  Moreover, many Korean professors DO NOT ONLY USE THEIR BODY LANGUAGE to display their attitudes toward foreign students with limited Korean skills, they also couple that with words (as it was my case with the Korean professor I mentioned in my previous article.  She not only uses words but emphasizes them with her body language so I can understand very clearly that she is very DISPLEASED with the fact that I don’t perform in Korean).  Unfortunately, the behavior of these professors, the anecdotes that I have heard from other international students (graduates and undergraduates) lead me to believe that I am not that far from reality. 

So, after reading this, will you come to Korea to purse a degree?  Honestly, it is up to you.  Just keep in mind that this is the present situation that many international students are facing here in Korea (me being one of them).  Studying here can be very rewarding.  You receive high-quality education, you get to experience a new culture, you get to meet people from all over the world, you get to eat delicious food, if you are into Hallyu, you get to see your favorite stars in person, you can visit the places and do  stuff you have seen in your favorite Korean dramas, you get to buy the best makeup and skin products ever, you can buy the latest and trendy fashion; of course, the most important thing, YOU GET TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE.  However, keep in mind that the main reason you are coming here is to STUDY A MAJOR; which means that it is within the academic world that you will spend most of your time.  And it is in this setting where you will face the hardest criticism and pressure.

Therefore, if your student profile fits within the NON-PROFICIENT-IN-KOREAN profile, it would be better to carefully weigh the pros and cons of coming here.  If you can get easily offended and hurt, should you come?  If you don’t want your idealized image of Korea to be shattered, should you come?  If you don’t want to spend many nights without sleeping for doing assignments just to have the professor criticize or ridicule you in front of the entire class the next day, should you come? Just think about it.  And if you still want to come, just be ready to take the bull by the horns.  At least, now you know what to expect.  I didn't when I came.

Choose an all-English track program, learn a lot of Korean before coming, or just come with the attitude of I DON’T GIVE A F***… and be happy.