The Importance of the Internet
It's not an exaggeration to say that Korea's role as one of the leading nations in the 21st century depends entirely on whether it can conquer the Internet or not. To become a country well-versed in the Internet, the fulfillment of two important tasks is vital. One is to construct a solid infrastructure so that the Internet can be linked to anyone, anywhere, anytime and the other is to develop softwares, which can divert all services and contents into digital data. However, along with the development of softwares and hardwares, mastering the English language as important since it is the most common language spoken today.
Seventy-eight percent of all homepages on the web is written in English. In addition, 96 percent of the business sites operate in English, and 70 percent of all homepages is produced in the United States, needless to say in English.
Are we not committing the biggest folly of not paying attention to the most important tool, the English language, as we develop the Internet, while being too preoccupied with the importance of building hardwares and softwares? Internet infrastructure can be built in a relatively short period of time if the government backs the development financially. But mastering English cannot be attained in a short period of time since it's a matter of education. Even if money was poured into teaching English, if the importance of it is recognized belatedly, improved Enlglish proficiency can not be attained in a short span of time.
Internet cannot be conquered unless a nation overcomes the language dilemma, and no country can take the lead in the 21st century unless it masters cyber space. What is the reality of English for us on the Internet? Look first at Korean homepages, the window to the cyber world. Major corporations offer homepages, written in both Korean and English. Other homepages are offered in Korean only. Few firms, unless engaged in trade or exports, offer English services.
Only six Korean government agencies; Chong Wa Dae where the president lives and works, the Computing and Information Control Office (SIC), the National Statistical Office, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; have registered their homepages with Yahoo Korea. Even if overseas diplomatic missions in Seoul are added, the figure doesn't add up to 30. In contrast, the Singaporean government has 174 homepages. If one visits official Singaporean government sites, they are perfectly comprehensive, though slow in speed.
How are our rivals in Asia? A world leader in digitalization, Singapore's competitiveness advances day to day. Owing to the official use of English and excellent English education programs, Singapore does not have any barriers accessing the digital world. Little English barrier exists in Hong Kong also. Likewise, Malaysia is far ahead of Korea in the cyber world and particularly in the commercialization of the English language.
If you search Yahoo's business category, home pages registered in Korea number 999, less than half Singapore's 2,307. Taiwan has 1,671 and Malaysia has 1,281. If you click the area category, Korea has only 2,700, significantly less than Pakistan's 3,782 and 4,500 in both Singapore and Malaysia.
The Internet is the keyword of the 21st century. English is the most important key to solving the keyword. We cannot achieve anything without conquering English. We must formulate measures involving English--the only skill promising prosperity--right away and implement them boldly.
We are still ignorant of the importance of the English language. Our English education system is antiquated and ineffective and tremendous human resources are wasted due to irresponsibility and complacency. On the dawn of the 21st century, could we have a future without undergoing a drastic change in our perception of the English language?
