The Guardian – Kang Mi-jin
“Young North Koreans are demonstrating a growing appetite to learn foreign languages so as to improve their job prospects…“Many people believe that those who work in [foreign] trade have [even] better standards of living than provincial party cadres, so there’s more interest in language skills,” said a source in Ryanggang province. “If you’re good at a second language you can get into a good university and get a nice job, so the drive among parents to get their children into special foreign language classes is fierce.” As economic reforms lead to a growth in privately owned businesses, the demand for North Koreans who can communicate with the outside world has increased.”(more)