SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea may be one of the most reclusive states on the globe, but a growing number of its citizens are taking a common test to measure their proficiency in American English as a second language. English entered North Korea's education system in the mid-1960s as a part of a "knowing the enemy" program: phrases such as "capitalist running dog," imported from fellow communists in the former Soviet Union, were part of the curriculum.
But South Korean officials say that scoring well on a test for English proficiency is now increasingly seen in the North as a way to secure a good job that requires international communication skills. | Another blow to the French language |
The number of North Koreans taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has risen almost fivefold in less than five years, and scores for North Koreans have also improved, the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service said earlier this month.
The number of North Koreans taking TOEFL hit 4,783 in the July 2003-June 2004 period compared to about 1,000 North Korean test-takers before 2000, it said in a press release. "The North Korean government has acknowledged the increasing importance of teaching its students English since about 2000," an official from South Korea's Unification Ministry said.
The official, who asked not to be named, said English may soon supplant Russian as the top foreign language studied in North Korea. This comes despite repeated blasts in North Korean official media that vilify the United States, and a lack of native English-speaking instructors. | "Kim, we're running short of English teachers. Go kidnap a few, will you?" |
"But Kim, the Japanese are on to us, the Americans hate us, and the Brits talk properly funny!" |
In the past North Korea's elite students were taught English translations of its late founder Kim Il-sung's collected works. In 2000, the North started broadcasting a 10-minute weekly segment called "TV English" that focused on rudimentary conversation. | "And now for today's "Capitalist Running Dog" phrase of the day". (bonus points for whoever tells me where that line came from) |
One North Korean defector in Seoul said English is also taught in the military, along with Japanese. Soldiers are required to learn about 100 sentences such as, "Raise your hands." and "Don't move or I will shoot." | Other popular phrases: "I give up", "Kimmy made me do it", "Got any food" and the ever popular "You take me to big PX, GI?" |
TOEFL is not administered in North Korea, which has no diplomatic relations with the United States. Most of the test-takers are North Korean residents in Japan, North Korean students in places such as China and the children of diplomats overseas, officials said.
TOEFL, introduced in 1964, measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings, ETS said on its Web site. |
