Yongsan District Office Staff Mobile Foreign Language Training 'Positive Response'

Non-face-to-face Lectures Using Phone, Video, and AI for 100 District Office and Community Center Staff... Courses Offered in English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun·photo) has introduced ‘mobile foreign language education’ to cultivate global public service talents, receiving positive responses from employees.

The education started at the end of September. The target audience includes 100 employees from the district office and community service centers, and lectures are conducted remotely using phone, video calls, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Foreign languages offered reflect employees’ diverse needs, including not only English but also Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

Learning sessions are held 2 to 3 times a week, each lasting 10 to 15 minutes, making it easy to participate. The district covers 80% of the tuition fees, and employees individually pay the remaining 20%.

Jung Yuri (female, 42), a staff member who applied for English education, said, “I practice conversation twice a week through video calls with a Canadian instructor,” adding, “Talking with a native speaker is a bit intimidating, but it seems to help improve my skills.”

The education program will continue for 12 weeks until December. The district expects that self-development through foreign language learning will not only enhance employees’ work capabilities but also help revitalize the organizational atmosphere, which has been stagnant due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Since April, the district has also been conducting the ‘Employee Reading Marathon Competition’ in accordance with Article 11 (Promotion of Reading in the Workplace) of the Reading Culture Promotion Act. It is also a measure for COVID-19 ‘social distancing.’

Employees who read books and write reviews of more than 500 characters will have their reading converted to kilometers at a rate of 1 km per 500 pages, and the district will give souvenirs to employees who complete the marathon. The seven employees who read the most books will receive additional awards from the district mayor and cash prizes up to 300,000 KRW.

The competition runs until November.

The emphasis on foreign language education and reading activities for employees reflects District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun’s philosophy on ‘lifelong learning’ and ‘learning organizations.’

During his second term as mayor in 1999, Seong enrolled 40 district office officials in the night administration program at Hankyong National University. After his reappointment in the fifth term, he signed a business agreement with Howon University for industry-commissioned education, continuously supporting employees in obtaining degrees.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Only a learning organization has a future,” adding, “We will continue to encourage foreign language education and reading activities so that all employees can freely use foreign languages and acquire meaningful knowledge in various fields.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.