By Jane Han
Korea Times correspondent
NEW YORK ― Is English a must to live in the U.S? Contrary to popular belief, many immigrant Koreans have proven that it's possible to get by working and living in the U.S. speaking only a few words of English.
Sure, they put up with a little inconvenience here and there, but nothing unbearable. With the help of their better-educated children, they leave virtually no situation unresolved.
English was always an advantage, never a necessity. But not anymore.
Ironically, many Korean elders in the U.S. are finding the need for the language kicking in stronger now, closer to retirement, than ever before.
``I can't rely on my kids forever, can I?'' said Kim Ki-cheol, a retired restaurant owner who recently passed on the business to his older son. ``My two sons now each have their own families, so my wife and I don't want to burden them by constantly calling for translation help.''
Kim said running a business, especially in New York's Koreatown district, didn't require excellent English skills since most of his customers and vendors were other Koreans.
``I experienced no major difficulty over the past 15 years while I worked,'' he said, ``but all of a sudden after leaving work, I felt the language barrier bog me down.''
At the hospital, shopping mall and even during weekend trips, Kim said he had to deal with frustration due to his inability to speak fluently. Then English classes came to the rescue.
With the help of the classes offered by several local Korean-American senior citizen and welfare centers, Kim said life became much easier. Besides the improved speaking skills, what relieved him even more was meeting other older Koreans going through the same experience.
At the Korean-American Senior Citizens Society of Greater New York alone, nearly 300 Korean senior citizens are taking English classes.
``Our class size is limited to 80 but there are already three times more students who have registered for grammar and conversation classes,'' said an official, who added that most lessons are geared toward helping in real-life situations, such as reading letters from social services and describing personal health conditions.
Classes are also full at the Korean American Community Center of New York.
``More than 80 percent of our students are over the age of 65 and the percentage continues to go up,'' said a center official.
She explained that Korean seniors are seeking to catch up on English to become more independent and active.
``People are living longer and healthier so who wants to be stuck depending on others?'' she asked rhetorically.