Past Event

KRC Seminar Series 2026

Seminar recap

On 31 August, we were pleased to welcome Dr Jinhyun Cho from Macquarie University for the third seminar in the Korea Research & Engagement Centre’s 2026 series. Eldin Milak hosted the session at Curtin, with colleagues also online from China and elsewhere.

Dr Cho explored why English has such a powerful place in South Korean society. She traced its history from the first English schools in the late nineteenth century through Japanese colonial rule, the American military government and the development of Korean higher education. She argued that English operates as all four forms of capital described by Pierre Bourdieu: economic, cultural, symbolic and social. Her account also showed how Korea’s particular history gave English value as political and academic capital, through access to government power and the prestige of American qualifications.

The talk brought this history to life through examples of commoners who learnt English to improve their prospects, and interpreters whose language skills gave them considerable influence under the American military government. One example was Syngman Rhee, who studied English in prison with a pocket dictionary and later earned degrees from George Washington, Harvard and Princeton universities. Dr Cho explained how his English proficiency and many years in the United States helped him build connections in Washington that became valuable political and social capital.

She also discussed how American university degrees came to shape Korean academic life and create distinctions between scholars educated overseas and those educated at home. Seen in this historical context, she argued, Korea’s “English fever” makes sense. English has opened doors to education and employment, even as its pursuit has placed considerable pressure on students and their families.

There was plenty to discuss afterwards, with questions about parallels with China, the value placed on overseas education, and how enthusiasm for English has coexisted with Korean national identity. A question about how to decolonise English education brought us back to a central point of the talk: to understand the place of English today, we need to understand the local histories that have given it its power.

Many thanks to Dr Cho for a thoughtful talk, and to everyone who joined us and contributed to the discussion.

Images from the seminar