Gyeonggi Province and Ministry of Defense Sign English Education Agreement for Military Personnel

▲ On the 28th at the Ministry of Defense, Gyeonggi Governor Son Hak-gyu shakes hands with Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-woong following the English Village agreement ceremony between the Ministry of Defense and Gyeonggi Provincial Office.

Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Defense have decided to utilize programs offered by the Gyeonggi English Village, operated by the province, to improve military personnel's English proficiency.

Gyeonggi Governor Son Hak-gyu and Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-woong signed a "Joint Agreement between Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Defense for Improving Military Personnel's English Proficiency" in the minister's reception room on the 28th.

According to the agreement, from next month through April next year, once per week, native English teachers and domestic instructors from the Gyeonggi English Village will visit pilot education units at the 26th Army Division, the 2nd Fleet Command of the Navy, and the 10th Combat Fighter Wing of the Air Force to teach English to military personnel.

Additionally, when the Paju English Village is completed in March next year, approximately 2,000 military personnel annually will enter the English Village and learn English through various experiential programs.

Military personnel unable to attend the English Village will be provided with "Cyber English Village" programs consisting of 29 content modules including practical English, travel English, business English, basic English, and TOEIC.

Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Defense plan to establish a working-level coordination body in the near future to discuss practical matters required for selecting trainees, recruiting native instructors, and operating the English Village.

This agreement is in accordance with the "Comprehensive Military Human Resources Development Plan" prepared in July by the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Science and Technology. The Ministry of Defense decided to utilize the infrastructure of the Gyeonggi English Village, which is attracting attention as an experiential English learning education institution to meet the language needs of the new generation of military personnel.

A provincial official stated, "We will develop specialized English programs so that military personnel can receive substantial assistance with self-development and job preparation."

The Gyeonggi English Village first opened in Ansan in August last year, and by the beginning of this month, a total of approximately 17,000 students have entered the facility. Due to its advantage of allowing people to learn living English without traveling abroad, local governments and universities nationwide are benchmarking the facility.