The government’s ambitious TaLK program is being met with the mediocre results that people-with-heads-out-of-their-ass had predicted. The plan calls for the hiring of overseas Koreans who don’t have a degree (but at least 2 years of university) to come over and teach English in rural public schools.

However, the project is drawing unenthusiastic responses, with the June 15 deadline approaching. According to the TaLK office, it has only received about 180 applicants, well below the target of 500. About nine out of 10 applicants are ethnic Korean teachers.

I love the BS math here. 9 out of 10 applicants are native Korean teachers? That means 18 out of 180 applicants are anything better than the teacher pool already available to them in country. 18 applicants. A hiring quota of 500.

“People tend to apply at the last minute. In reality, some 100 students applied last week. I believe we can manage to complete our goal,” said Kim Chang-eun, director of TaLK office.

You’ve got 11 days to drum up 482 applicants who meet the profile. You don’t have time to answer calls from The Korea Times, let alone unhatch a weak CYA story with weak math.

This whole plan failed due to the government’s nationalist pride and naivety into thinking that 2nd and 3rd generational Koreans living overseas will suddenly rally once the motherland they never knew, announces a call to arms.