Jeon Young-ae, 37, together with her daughter stepped onto a city tour bus arranged for foreign tourists by a Seoul-based tourism agency over the weekend. Jeon took the bus not for sightseeing but to give her daughter an opportunity to learn English.
``It’s the fourth time my daughter has taken the city tour. I am glad when I see my daughter understand what the tour guides say in English and talk to foreigners without fear during the tour,’’ Jeon said.
Jeon is taking advantage of a program provided by Cosmojin Tour, a travel agency. Cosmojin says it sees a growing number of parents with their children participate in the tour program. ``More than 100 Korean children boarded our tour bus during this summer vacation. Students can learn how to introduce Korean cultural heritages in English and they can naturally mingle with foreigners,’’ said Jung Myung-jin, the company president.
More from the Korea Times, including a line from the company president saying they'll soon open official tours but will restrict the number of Koreans. Currently on the English-language Seoul tour site there's no mention of foreign clients being subjected to Korean children, and no advance warning given. Perhaps the practice won't bother tourists in Asia for the first time so much, but after living here for a bit I know I wouldn't want to be used by Korean children and their pushy parents while on vacation. Especially when we're often subjected to "curious" and "friendly" and "want to practice English" students---and adults---whether we're at a tourist site, strolling through the park, walking around a department store, or exercising at the gym, enough that it's extremely annoying and perhaps considered harassment. It doesn't help that so much of those interactions involve catcalls like "helLO" and "HEY" and "hi hi hi hi," or things we've heard a million times like "Where are you from?", "Do you know kimchi?" and "When are you going home?"
The article's title, "Students Take Advantage of City Tour to Learn English" is on the mark with the "take advantage," that's for sure, and I wish the people pushing this forward would take a minute to think about what's best for the paying customers on vacation. There are literally countless opportunities for Koreans to learn and use their English every day, opportunities they misuse or don't take advantage of, and I wish they wouldn't be so zealous to intrude on foreigners like this.
4 comments:
Every now and then, I'll see a kid in a public place, normally Lotte Mart or something similar, and they'll say hi or "외국인이다". Depending on what mood I'm in, they'll get a hi back, or I'll reply in Korean.
If I go on a tour or something, I want to enjoy it, and not be bothered by people in general, let alone children. Especially Korean children, similar to those I see at work every day.
Sure, it might be cute for people here on a holiday, or people new to Korea, but as for me, this is way beyond crossing the line of "taking advantage".
Maybe the moms could just drive behind the tour bus and let the kiddies out to pester the tourists when the bus stops at attractions.
Hey, they could even have a handful of souvenirs for sale...
Eventually, some smart ajumma will get a hold of the tour schedule and they won't even have to drive behind. Just meet them there. :D
I had a similar experience with an RAS tour, although the Korean 'tourists' were adults and fairly low-key in their interactions.
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