The government plans to develop a new English proficiency test to replace the current one used for college entrance by 2013.

Education, Science and Technology Minister Ahn Byong-man said the new test would be designed to help cut private cram school costs.

Ahn said it will be modeled on Japan’s state-administrated “Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency’’ which rates the levels of test takers from grade 1 (university level) to grade 5 (junior high beginner).

The test will be in two sections ― the first will test reading, listening and writing skills and the second, speaking skills through interviews.

“The new test will help reduce private cram school costs as students will be evaluated in different levels, not by scores,’’ the minister said.

According to the government, some 15 trillion won ($11 billion) is spent annually on private English education.

However, the initial reaction from universities and parents was far from enthusiastic. “When we assess students, a test result which tells only `pass’ or `fail’ is not very helpful,’’ a university admissions official in Seoul said.

College admission specialists at cram schools say private education costs might increase if students can apply to take the English test as many times as they want to.

In addition, some universities plan to have their own English language tests to precisely evaluate students’ English skills. Hence, in the worst case, students have to prepare for not only the new English test but also the tests held by each university.

“If the government introduces the English certificate system, the weighting of English could fall for college admission,’’ said Lee Young-deok, a college admission specialist at Daesung Hagwon, one of the major cram schools.

English education professors say the government must come up with more specific guidelines about the new test to reduce confusion at schools.

“The government has announced plans to introduce new English proficiency tests. But nothing has been fixed,’’ said Seoul National University’s English Education Prof. Lee Byung-min. “Taking into consideration what has been announced, I doubt that the new test will be effective in evaluating students’ English proficiency accurately.’’

Source:Korea Times

Audrey: I bought a dress for Sue’s baby last month and I think the baby has already outgrown it!

Jack : Did you keep the receipt? If so, you can take it back for a refund.

Audrey: I have the receipt but I want to try and exchange the dress for a bigger size. Then I’ll give it to Sue right away.

오드리: 지난달에 수의 애기한테 줄 드레스를 하나 사 놓았는데 이제 벌써 작아져서 못 입을 듯해.

잭: 영수증 있어? 있으면 가서 환불 받으면 돼.

오드리: 영수증은 있는데 그냥 큰 사이즈가 있는지 보고 있으면 교환해서 수에게 갖다 주려고.

Exchange는 다른 물건으로 교환하는 것, even exchange는 불량으로 인해 같은 제품을 새것으로 가져가거나 사이즈만 교환하는 것, Refund는 환불하는 것을 말합니다. 　Christine Ko(중앙일보에듀라인)

Source: Joongang Ilbo

Today marks another great moment in the history of big ‘GET OUT’ moments. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, recently accused of corruption involving the replacement selection he was tasked to do for Obama’s former Senate seat, was just given a big ‘get out’ by all 50 Democratic Senators in the Senate. Well, Rod is not necessarily in the Senate, but he was collectively asked to step down as governor, by everyone there.

A fine time to talk about 나가! A common expression when telling someone to ‘GET OUT’! Or one can also say “나가! 그리고 다신 오지마! (Get out and stay out!).

To celebrate Rod’s big cause célèbre, I feel that it calls for other memorable movie moments with the famous 나가!

신증동국여지승람(新增東國輿地勝覽)에 대구10경(大邱十景)의 하나로 기록된 건들바위 옆 절벽이 8일 밤 갑자기 무너지는 사고가 발생했다. 9일 오전 중구청 관계자들이 절벽 일부가 붕괴하면서 인도와 도로 쪽으로 쏟아져 내린 바위 조각들을 살펴보고 있다.Source:Imaeil

Nearly 500 years ago, a local monk wrote a, now famous, book highlighting what he considers to be the 10 most beautiful views in the Daegu area. The Geondeulbawi Cliffs just south of downtown were one of such views that he was awestruck enough to write about. However, the pleasant vista of the rock formation looks a little askew now, as a few nights ago, a large section of the cliffs suddenly crumbled and fell to the sidewalk below. Local government officials are on the scene to assess the collapse and hopefully begin a plan of action for cleanup and restoration.

Language Study Notes
In the passage, they talk a little about the fallen 바위 조각 (rock fragments). Some of you may have seen the word 조각 written elsewhere. Although 조각 is being used as ‘fragment’ or ‘shrapnel’, it is also commonly used for ‘a piece, a bit, a strip, a slice’. You can see this usage of the word, when talking about the amount of wings that come with hot wings, or the amount of cheese sticks, or the amount of slices on a pizza. For example, if you look at a delivery pizza menu and you want to read how many wings come with an order of hot wings, it may say ‘핫윙 10조각’, meaning 10 wings. Or an 10 slice pizza might say ’10조각’. You can also see this with ‘pieces of cake, pie, etc…’

Some sample sentences:
1.
Su-jin bought three slices of pizza
수진이는 피자 세조각을 샀다.

2.
Mark: Would you like another piece? (한 조각 더 먹을래？)
Steve: No thanks．Two slices are enough for me. (됐어요． 전 두 조각이면 충분해요)

The godfather of existentialist sci-fi movies (although Matrix would then have to be considered the godson.).

Daegu broke ground on the EXCO expansion today, which will essentially double the size of the existing convention facility. More convention rooms, meeting rooms, and a parkade will be added, which is expected to be wrapped up before the World Championships are held in the summer of 2011. Adjacent to EXCO is Interburgo Hotel’s latest addition to their regional family of hotels. In a few week’s time, Interburgo EXCO will open and be connected to EXCO via underground pedestrian walkways.

Source: Joongang Ilbo

Lee Jung-hwan became chairman and chief executive of Korea Exchange in March, just in time to preside over the steepest decline in South Korean stock prices this decade. Since January 2005, when the Korea Stock Exchange, the Korea Futures Exchange and the Kosdaq Market were combined, Korea Exchange has been the common-platform operator of the nation’s trading in stocks, bonds and financial derivatives and ranks itself as Asia’s seventh-largest bourse by market capitalization and the world’s second-largest derivatives market by number of trades.

Twice in the 1990s, South Korea’s markets experienced protracted downturns that erased three-quarters of shareholder value. But in recent years, volatility decreased and the Korean market entered a more mature phase, as South Koreans themselves took a longer-term approach to investing. Even so, this year South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index is down 44%, reflecting the world-wide equities selloff.

In September, London-based market evaluator FTSE Group said it would lift the South Korean exchange to developed-market status next year. That action is likely to be matched by MSCI Barra, a New York-based provider of support tools to investment institutions that is majority owned by Morgan Stanley, the global financial-services firm. Such reclassification means that South Korean companies, long the biggest target of emerging-market investors, would be eligible for the larger pool of investments that flow to advanced markets.

Mr. Lee, 54 years old, spent most of his career as an economist and tax specialist at South Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy. In the late 1980s, he worked for three years at the World Bank, and in 1998 led Seoul’s delegation to the 30-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, in Paris.

In early 2005 Mr. Lee came to KRX to lead its management strategy division. Recently, he sat down at his office in Seoul for a chat with Evan Ramstad, where he spoke in English. Here are excerpts:

WSJ: How do you position KRX against other exchanges, particularly those nearby, such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai?

Mr. Lee: We have three strategies. With regard to the exchanges in advanced countries, such as in the U.S. or European countries, we have made strategic alliances. For example, we concluded an [memorandum of understanding] with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to put our Kospi 200 index futures on the CME global system.

Our other strategy is to work with new markets elsewhere in Asia. For instance, we’ve been training Cambodian government and central bank people to get used to the exchange environment. Because they don’t have stock exchanges, we thought it important to get people to know more about the operational stock market. We had an MOU for a joint-venture agreement with the Cambodian government — they are going to have 55% of shares and we will have 45% — and maybe this month we will sign the final agreement. We also have a preliminary agreement with the government of Laos to set up a stock exchange by 2010. We exported our bond-trading system to Malaysia and we are also discussing with the Mongolia Stock Exchange about modernizing their system.

The last part of our strategy is to attract foreign companies to list here. Last year, three Chinese companies were listed on the Korea Exchange for the first time. More than 10 foreign companies are on the waiting list.

WSJ: South Korea is on the verge of being reclassified by professional investors from being an advanced emerging market to a developed market. How does that affect KRX?

Mr. Lee: We changed our market operations according to their standards. Even though FTSE announced the reclassification in September, it takes time for investors to change. They have to reorganize their internal systems and reallocate their money. The impact will appear in the Korean market slowly.

WSJ: Does it affect the way you think about how you might do business in the future?

Mr. Lee: We are now looking at our own [initial public offering of shares] too, even if the timing is not set. We think the market-friendly policy is the best for exchange business.

WSJ: What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?

Mr. Lee: I was in the international finance division of the Ministry of Finance, and I learned a lot about the overall economic policy there, and more specifically about many financial products and financial planning. It was the early 1980s and at that time I was in charge of traffic control of our companies, including banks and private companies, to get [foreign investors involved in] bank loans or bond issues. We also discussed and reviewed their contracts with foreign companies. I accumulated my expertise and know-how in the financial market from that experience.

WSJ: How did your experience at the World Bank affect you?

Mr. Lee: I spent three years there as an economist. My eyes were opened at that time and I saw international people in the financial world, how they act and how they proceed with their daily work with other international bodies, including private banks and investment companies.

WSJ: What are some of the most important attributes you look for in managers?

Mr. Lee: Managers should have the intuition and the capacity to continuously give their staff new good ideas that are useful for the company, and after creating the ideas, make it policy to be used as that company’s growth engine.

WSJ: What advice do you give to people starting out in finance or in business to get to that kind of managerial level?

Mr. Lee: Whether in the financial or other industries, to people who graduate from school and enter a company, my advice is, if you cannot avoid the inevitable, then just try to enjoy it. You have to work with an engaged and positive mind. That will produce good results, whether in management or policy.

WSJ: What do you like to read?

Mr. Lee: I always carry a book in my briefcase. Lately, I have been reading a history of the Conservative Party in the U.K. by Kang Won-taek of Soongsil University in Seoul. I also read “Team Secrets of the Navy Seals” [subtitled "The Elite Military Force's Leadership Principles for Business," by Anonymous] and “The Dream Society” [subtitled "How the Coming Shift From Information to Imagination Will Transform Your Business"] by Rolf Jensen of Denmark.

WSJ: How do you keep the KRX staff motivated as the market goes through this volatile period?

Mr. Lee: The nature of the market is uncertain and the role of the market operator is to stick unswayed to principles rather than try to come up with special measures. I tell my staff that solutions often appear in the process of undertaking tasks. The best way to find solutions to problems is not to look for them per se but to do our job.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Although, these days, I’m trying to build up my vocab and verbs, studying questions can be useful. These questions might help those of you who teach English and may occasionally need to re-emphasize in Korean, what it is that you are asking in English. Also, some of these questions are what many of us foreigners get asked by Koreans and it might be good to use some of the list for listening practice with a Korean friend.

1. What is your name? (당신 이름이 뭐요?)

2. Where do you live? How long have you lived there? (어디에 살아요? 그곳에 얼마나 있었습니까?)

3. How many people are in your family? (가족의 구성원은 몇명인가요?)

4. How many brothers and sisters do you have? (당신은 몇명의 누나/요동생 혹은 남동생/형이 있습니까?)

5. Do you have any grandparents? If so, where do they live? (조부모님이 계십니까? 맞다면 그들은 어디에 계십니까?

6. Tell me about a favorite event of your childhood. (당신의 어릴적 추억이 있다면 말해보세요.)

7. What do you like to do in your free time? (여가시간에 무엇을 합니까?)

8. Which sports do you like? (당신은 무슨 운동을 좋아합니까?)

9. Who is your favorite athlete? (당신이 좋아하는 운동선수는 누구입니까?)

10. What is your favorite kind of food? (당신이 좋아하는 음식은 어떤 종류인가요?)

11. What is your favorite color? Why? (당신이 좋아하는 색깔은 무엇이고 왜 그럽니까?)

12. What is your favorite season? Why? (당신이 좋아하는 계절은 언제이고 왜 그럽니까?)

13. What is your favorite TV program? (당신이 좋아하는 TV 프로그램은 뭡니까?)

14. Who is your favorite actress? (당신이 선호하는 여배우는 누구인가요?)

15. What kind of music do you like? (당신은 어떤 장르의 음악을 좋아하나요?)

16. Who is your favorite singer? (당신이 좋아하는 가수는 누구입니까?)

17. What do you usually do with your friends? (당신은 주로 친구들과 무엇을 합니까?)

18. What school did you graduate from? (당신은 어느 학교를 졸업했습니까?)

19. What is your favorite subject? Why do you like it? (당신이 좋아하는 과목은 뭔가요? 왜 좋아합니까?)

20. Which subjects are you good at?(What are your strong subjects?) (당신은 어떤 과목에서 가장 자신있어합니까?)

21. Which subjects are you poor at?(Which subjects are difficult for you?) (당신은 어떤 과목에서 약점을 찾아내나요?)

22. What was the most interesting thing that you did during vacation? (당신이 방학기간에 했던 흥미로웠던 일은 무엇입니까?)

23. Do you like English? (당신은 영어를 좋아합니까?)

24. Why do you want to learn English? (영어를 통해 무엇을 배우고자 합니까?)

25. What’s your favorite word in English? Why do you like it? (영어에서 어떤 단어를 좋아합니까? 왜 좋아하나요?)

절기상 눈이 많이 내린다는 대설(大雪)인 7일 대구 달성군 가창면 허브힐즈 얼음계곡에는 고드름이 주렁주렁 매달려 휴일을 맞아 나들이 나온 가족들이 겨울 정취를 즐기고 있다.
As the chilly weather of late has brought big dumps of snow onto Daegu, families have been flocking to Herb Hillz on their day off, to witness the abundance of icicles that have formed.

Source:Imaeil

Language and conversation practice, using seasons and weather:

Cathy : Wow! It’s raining.
와우! (오우) 비가 내리네.

Su-jin : Yes, it is . Do you like rainy days ?
그래, 비가 오네. 너는 비오는 날을 좋아아 하니?

Cathy : Yes, I do. 예, 전 좋아해요.
We have hot and dry weather in L.A.
우리 L.A에선 덥고 건조한 날씨를 가지고 있어.

Su-jin : Really? In Korea we have all four seasons :
spring , summer , fall , and winter .
정말? 우리 한국에는 네 개의 계절을 가지고 있어.
봄, 여름, 가을 그리고 겨울.
(영어에는 항상 마지막 것을 말할 때에는 and를 붙인답니다.)

Cathy : What is your favorite season?
너는 무슨 계절을 가장 좋아하니?

Su-jin : I love spring, because there are so many flowers.
나는 봄을 좋아해. 왜냐하면 많은 꽃들이 피기 때문에.

Cathy : I like winter .
나는 겨울을 좋아해.

——————————

Korea’s Four Seasons
한국의 네 계절

In Korea, we have four seasons.
우리 한국은 네 개의 계절을 가지고 있어요.

The weather is beautiful .
그 계절은 아름다워요.

Spring begins in March.
봄은 3월에 시작해요.

It’s warm and pleasant.
그것은 따뜻하고 쾌적해요.

Many flowers bloom in this season.
많은 꽃들이 올라오는 계절이예요.

Summer comes after spring.
여름은 봄 뒤에 와요.

In the summer, it’s hot.
여름은 더워요.

Sometimes, it rains a lot.
때때로 비가 많이 와요.

We go to the beach and swim in the sea.
우리는 해변에 가서 수영도 하고 바다도 봐요.

In the fall, it is clear and cool.
가을은 맑고 시원해요.

The leaves turn red and yellow.
잎들이 빨강색과 노랑색으로 바뀌죠.

There are a lot of different fruits.
다양하고 많은 과일들이 생산되죠.

Winter is the last season of the year .
겨울은 그 해의 마지막 계절이예요.

It is cold and windy in the winter.
춥고 바람이 부는 계절이죠.

We get a lot of snow.
많은 눈을 가지고 있어요.(많은 눈이 온다)

We go skating and skiing in the winter.
우리는 스케이트와 스키도 타요.

The weather in Korea is not always the same.
한국의 계절은 이렇게 항상 같은 계절이지는 않아요.

Well, its taken a month to bring all the bits and pieces together, but we now have the January magazine done and have templates all prepped for the permanent and recurring sections of the magazine. Plus have found, through trial and error, some great design talent who are not going to charge us an arm and a leg. Design of future articles will likely churn out within 5 days, each month. Tweaking of our maps and legends will likely take about a day, depending on how many businesses and restaurants have closed over the past month. We’re launching 4 maps to start (All of downtown is broken into 4 maps, consisting of North Dongseongno, South Dongseongno, Rodeo/Samdeok, and Gyodong Market) and will likely be spitting out 1-2 maps a month for the first little while, until we top out at 9-10 maps. The most vital and trafficked maps will remain in the mag, however, we will then continue to churn out maps of the areas around subway stations, etc.., but only have them on the site and make them interactively operate with a map of the subway system. Obviously, the maps have been the most intensive thing, thus far. Writing, translating, editing, and designing page layout has been much more of a breeze.

We’re going to print samples tomorrow and will finally have something to show our city hall contacts and other interested sponsors. Will update again soon.