Ask a North Korean: do you learn foreign languages?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/05/north-korea-learn-foreign-languages

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Kristo from Estonia asks:

In the USSR, behind the Iron Curtain, foreign language studies in universities were prestigious for variety of reasons. How accessible are foreign language studies to students in NK, either academically or self-taught? What languages do they have access to and what are the popular ones?

Related: Ask a North Korean: how do people access news?

Studying a foreign language might have been a prestigious thing in the USSR but it is compulsory for everyone in North Korea from elementary school to high school.

But while everyone gets to – or rather, has to – study a foreign language throughout their school years, it’s students from good family backgrounds (under the Songbun caste system) and from the top of the social hierarchy who are most motivated to learn one in-depth prior to entering university. These students know that they can apply this knowledge after they graduate, so they’re more motivated than other students.

Otherwise, people are less likely to be motivated to learn a foreign language because they cannot use this knowledge in the real world. They don’t attribute any special meaning to becoming fluent in a foreign language and they wouldn’t make extra effort or sacrifice to master one.

Unless they become a diplomat or businessperson, North Koreans wouldn’t have chances to use foreign languages

Unless they become a diplomat or businessperson who goes to a foreign country on a trip, North Koreans wouldn’t have chances to use foreign languages. As you probably know, most North Koreans don’t have the freedom to travel to a foreign country without permission from the government, so it is understandable that ordinary people are less likely to be passionate about mastering a foreign language.

North Korean schooling consists of 11 years in total: five years of elementary school and six years of high school. Up until 2011, it was only compulsory for high school students to study foreign languages. But since Kim Jong-un came to power, students have been required to learn foreign languages from elementary school.

So, what is the most popular language? These days the one that is growing in popularity is Chinese. Up until the late 1990s, Chinese was not at all popular. But since the early 2000s, as the Chinese economy has grown dramatically and its influence over North Korea has grown and grown, learning Chinese has become even more popular than English.

There is a widely accepted view that English is an international language everyone must know and be able to speak

What foreign languages do we have access to? Most schools and universities in North Korea teach English and Russian. Until the late 1980s Russian was definitely one of the most popular languages, but following the collapse of the USSR trade between North Korea and Russia was greatly reduced so Russian became a not-so-popular language. Still to this day, most schools in North Korea provide English and Russian classes and students learn English and Russian if they want to.

There is a widely accepted view among North Koreans that English is an international language everyone must know and be able to speak. The reason Chinese ranks alongside English as the most popular language in North Korea is because Sino-North Korean relations have become strengthened and deepened over the years, as there are more economic and cultural exchange between the two countries.

I studied Chinese myself before I left North Korea. I expect to see an increased demand for and popularity of the Chinese language in North Korea – and in other countries around the world.

Got a question? Email it to ask@nknews.org with your name and city

Translation by Elizabeth Jae