Working in Korea - Do you have to know Korean?

Do you have to know Korean?

You don’t have to know Korean to live here. As a matter of fact many schools would prefer that you don’t speak Korean because they only want you to speak to the children in English. If you plan to live here it would be a good idea to at least learn the Korean alphabet. It is easy to learn and often when you sound out a word written in Korean it will be sound just like the English word. This is called Konglish. There are many places here where you can learn Korean if you want to for very cheap. You might even be able to find someone who will trade Korean lessons for English Lessons. It seems like about 50% of the signs in the areas of Korea we have visited have been in English. The subway signs are written in Korean, English and Chinese. If I need help when I am out I usually find a Korea male between the ages of 13 and 30. They are often happy to practice their English by talking to you. I don’t ask females because they will giggle if they don’t know English perfectly. NEVER ask a Korean “do you speak English?” They will tell you “no,” because they don’t feel they have learned it enough even though they can speak in full, clear sentences. I find it is best to just start talking in English and see how they answer. I have had many people say “Sorry, I don’t speak English," in perfect English.