[imText1]Just as in South Korea, English is the most popular foreign language in North Korea.
On January 1964, the Central Committee of the Worker’s Party gave out a statement supporting foreign language education. On the same year March, it enforced “inner government decision #17” called “About Strengthening Foreign Language Professors.”
After this period, they permitted education of foreign languages other than Russian and the name of classes also changed from “Russian” to “Foreign Language”. They taught English and Russian as second language and recommended students for third languages.
Why would North Korea with so much hostility against the US set English as one of the second languages?
It was an order of Kim Il Sung. Below is the summary of Kim’s order.
“You have to be ready to fight against the US and Japan. You have to know at least few words in English and Japanese. If you do not know how to say a word, you may catch the enemies but you will not be able to talk to them. You must be able to say military words such as “Raise your hands” or “We will not shoot if you drop your guns and surrender” in English and Japanese.”
Entering the 1980s, with growing importance of English education, English classes were taught starting fourth grade of elementary school. By the end of 1980s, with the collapse of Soviet and Eastern European socialist states, the need of Russian classes decreased. For this reason in 1991, they set English as the second language to be taught in the school.
The purpose and content of English education in North Korea is somewhat different than that of South Korea. Our objective of English education is “building capability of communication in order to accept foreign culture and to introduce and develop our culture.”
Foreign Languages for ‘Revolution of Chosun (North Korea)’
In every English textbook, on the titles and in parts of the content it says, “students learn foreign languages for Revolution of Chosun as well.” Furthermore the last chapter of the grade 6 of middle school English textbook includes Kim Jong Il’s speech on Juche ideology. In other words, English education in North Korea is a tool for the people to obtain information in science and technology and transform into a completely revolutionary human beings.
North Korean textbooks contain mainly conversations of North Korean people, except the parts with “Tom” and “Mary” which are not real situation conversations.
The only parts that include foreigners are conversations that criticize Americans and British.
Chapters of the English textbook include basic math problems in English, life in farms, unemployment and racial discrimination, labor exploitation, national life (loyal life toward the nation), and Juche ideology. The English textbooks mainly consist of contents of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il idolization, condemnations and distortions (of information) about South Korean and the US, and emphasis on communist morality.
The following is the first sentences of the ‘Song of General Kim Il Sung’ published on the first pages of the 6th grade middle school textbook.
Bright traces of blood on the crags of Jangbaek still gleam,
Still the Amnok carries along signs of blood in its stream,
Still do these hallowed traces shine resplendently,
Over Korea ever flourishing and free.
So dear to all our hearts is our general’s glorious name,
Our own beloved Kim Il Sung of undying fame.
