The U.S. ambassador in Seoul believes there is no substitute for repeated practice for Korean students to gain good command of English-language skills, according to an article he posted on his embassy's blog Thursday.
Ambassador Sung Kim, a Korean-born American who took up his post last November, made the remarks during a recent meeting with Korean university students who are studying to become English teachers for primary schools.
"A student from Daegu National University of Education asked how a person can become truly bilingual," Kim said. "I answered that there is no substitute for practice."
"While growing up in Los Angeles, I tried to practice Korean at home and at Korean restaurants but I now wish I had tried harder," the ambassador said.
Kim, who is fluent in Korean, was born in Korea and moved to the U.S. in the 1970s before obtaining his U.S. citizenship in 1980.
In Korea, students start learning English from the third-grade and continue all the way to university. Acquiring fluent English skills is considered a must-have for success in the nation's highly competitive society.
Tens of thousands of young Koreans go abroad every year to learn English.