Apparently Korean parents, hoping to improve their children's pronunciation of English, are now providing tongue-surgury for them.

quote:

---

South Koreans trimming their tongues to improve speech
Driven by a desire to give their kids an edge in an increasingly competitive society, a surprising number of South Koreans have turned to the knife in a seemingly drastic bid to help their offspring perfect their English.

You would be hard-pressed to find a country that is more feverish in its attempts to learn English than South Korea. From toddlers to students to office workers, learning English has become a national obsession.
- excerpts from a Reuters article

---

That is so sad! I just recently read a long article about how the South Koreans sacrifice a great deal, also, to educate their children in the U.S. In some cases, the wife moves to the U.S. so that the children can attend the best schools at a young age. The father stays in Korea in cramped surroundings, sending his paycheck to the wife.

They seem to value education more than almost any culture.

Almost withoour exception (there was one) the Korean children at the Harrow Summer School were unfailingly polite and well behaved and they were among the keenest and most attentive students I've ever had.

Glaubt es mir - das Geheimnis, um die größte Fruchtbarkeit und den größten Genuß vom Dasein einzuernten, heisst: gefährlich leben.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.