Abstract

The number of young Korean students studying abroad – many moving to English-speaking countries – has increased. This article describes the lives of young Korean students studying in the United States. For data collection, unstructured interviews were conducted with young Korean students studying in the Northwestern states of the United States. According to these findings, most young Korean students studying in the U.S.A. live as though they are still in Korea: passively participating in extra-curricular school activities, taking many private lessons, socializing with Korean kids, and so on. Parents also plan their children’s study schedules and lead them. These phenomena, spurred by the goal to improve their English competency skills – the Korean students’ motivation for studying abroad – yield a comparative advantage in unlimited educational competition.

Key words: Parental involvement in Korean education, “Kirogi” family, transnational family, transnational education, Korean education, young students studying abroad, globalization of education.