 | 319호 [Feb.28 ,2011] | Nation  |
| English Hagwon Craze Gets Crazier | |
 The English hagwon craze has reached a new level. Now, in some of the wealthier neighborhoods of Seoul city, students are not only pressured to attend these after-school private academies—they are competing to be accepted in the most prestigious of them. “If you think about it, it really doesn’t make any sense,” said Park Yoon-suk, whose 13-year-old son attends a prestigious hagwon in Daechi-dong. “But everyone is going through the same thing because we all believe it will be worth it in the end.” Daechi-dong is home to many of the capital city’s hagwons. There is even a street that is now known as “the first avenue for private education”. During school breaks, the area is especially crowded with parents, students, hagwon staff, buses and taxis. “It’s crazy at the end of the day,” said 24-year-old Park Min-jong, a staff member at a Daechi-dong hagwon. “There are so many people here that we need staff members to keep them from running into one another.” It’s not easy to get accepted into the best hagwons, though. Students must start by taking an admissions test, which is often very challenging. Some hagwons have long waiting lists for student applications. And many say that students who fail the admissions test must wait several months before reapplying. Tests can last from one to two hours and are often accompanied by an interview, as well. “A lot of the students have to take the test multiple times,” a clerk from one of the English hagwons said. In some cases, parents hire private tutors to help their children prepare for hagwon admission tests. | |
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| 319호 [Feb.28 ,2011] | Nation |
| Jeju Island Wants New 7 Wonders of Nature Title | |
 Jeju Island has recently launched a huge campaign for publicity and support. Its objective is to be named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. This title can be won if voters around the world choose Jeju Island. Officials say that the competition is a fantastic opportunity to attract tourists to Jeju Island. The competition is organized by New7Wonders, a Switzerland-based non-profit organization. The organization started the project in 2007 and selected 28 finalists out of 452 candidates. Jeju Island is among the finalists. Other finalists include the Amazon River in Brazil, the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan, the Grand Canyon in the United States and the Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan. The final vote for the New 7 Wonders of Nature will take place on November 10, 2011. People can vote online or over the phone. In order to promote the island, the National Committee for Jeju New 7 Wonders of Nature was created. Its chairman is former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan. The Committee organized a special event on January 20. Many journalists, politicians and business leaders were present. The chairman asked for the support from important institutions and media outlets to convince voters worldwide to vote for Jeju Island. Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics also said they will help promote the island. “Jeju is the only candidate where people, nature, culture and prehistoric heritage harmoniously coexist in a single location,” the chairman said. “This is also the only candidate equipped with all seven major factors the foundation suggests to become a global tourism spot - scenery, an island, a volcano, beaches, caves, waterfalls and fests.” Jeju Island was already named a biosphere reserve in 2002, given the title of World Natural Heritage in 2007 and Global Geopark in 2010. | |
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