Dear editor,
Jason Lim's Oct. 29 piece ``Why Not Korean Americans" is completely off base. And by writing such a meandering, poorly-researched piece, he demonstrates an ignorance that all-too-often visits matters of English education in Korea.
I am very tired of reading newspaper articles and columns that have no qualms about stereotyping foreign teachers as drunks, vagabonds, and pedophiles. As Mr. Lim writes of his recruiting days, ``many [foreign teachers] lacked professional qualifications, lied about their academic training, and enjoyed a less than exemplary lifestyle involving the proverbial sex, drugs, and rock n roll." At best, it is irresponsible to throw around the word ``many" when engaging in character defamation against an entire demographic. At worst it is a poorly-disguised attempt at race-baiting that has no place in education or journalism.
Mr. Lim provides nothing beyond anecdotal evidence to support his claims. Many readers, I'm sure, have found articles in this paper and others detailing offenses committed by foreign teachers in Korea. Mr. Lim took a few unconnected examples and applied them to the whole. What Mr. Lim ignored, however, and what would have been very damaging to his argument, are the offenses committed by Korean-Americans and other returned overseas-Koreans. In May, 2006, a Korean-American was accused of inappropriate conduct at an English Village in Seongnam. In September, 2007, a slew of gyopo teachers were busted for drug-related activity in Seoul's wealthier neighborhoods.
And, it is a little flimsy to criticize Caucasians for faking documentation when, for the past year, Korean celebrities from all walks of life have been exposed as frauds.
Mr. Lim also draws on the offensive ``Let's travel through Asia while earning money as English teachers and score some women at the same time, dude!" stereotype to characterize his view of white foreign teachers. He goes on to speculate that Korean-Americans may be better suited for teaching in Korea because they have a desire to reconnect with their roots. However, there is little to support his claim that gyopo teachers will be more successful in Korea. In fact, with more relaxed visa procedures, it is quite easy for Korean-American teachers to arrive in Korea without a job, to bail on jobs without notice, to forge academic documents, and to extort large sums of money through private teaching.
Recent events have made it fashionable to once again defame foreigners in Korea. I want to reiterate that this type of ignorance and race-baiting ought to have no place in education or journalism. I am consistently shocked to see a culture that is at once so eager to learn a foreign language, yet so quick to slander its speakers.
Brian Deutsch
Suncheon,
South Jeolla Proviince