The Korea Herald – Robert J. Fouser
“…what is the most appropriate foreign language education policy for Korea in the 21st century? Which languages should be taught and why?…Predicting the future is always risky, but if current trends hold, the world will look different in 2030 and most certainly in 2050. Children born today will be in middle school in 2030 and in their prime working years in 2050. They need the chance to learn languages that will reflect the world they will live in. A 2015 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that the center of economic activity will move to Asia, as has long been predicted. In 2030, China will have the largest GDP (at market exchange rates) in the world, overtaking the U.S. India will move into third place, pumping Japan down to fourth place. By 2050, the top three will remain the same, but India’s economy will be much larger…All of this means that, while English will remain the most important language for Koreans to learn, Chinese and Indonesian will grow in importance while Japanese will remain important, despite Japan’s relative decline.”(more)