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세바시


Last Monday I got to give a talk at a public speaking event known as the 세바시, or 세상을 바꾸는 시간 15분 at the KT Hall in Mokdong. It is organized by CBS (the Korean Christian Broadcasting Service), and is one of their secular programs; it is modeled on the TED conferences. It will air on the CBS TV cable channel in three weeks [see http://www.change15min.com, facebook.com/cbs15min], and immediately thereafter it will be posted on their Youtube channel [youtube.com/cbs15min].

I don't want to brag about this (which is why I'm posting this on Google+, as I only know two people in the world who currently use Google+). Rather, I want to thank God for this opportunity, and hope that others may be blessed by the talk.

That's because my talk is about 'Freedom from English'. I talked about how English has become such an obsession and a burden for Koreans, which is actually an emotional and spiritual bondage, which hinders them from learning English in any meaningful, practical way. 

So I talk about some of the problems of the current situation, particularly the unhealthy motivations that Koreans suffer under, and offer some remedies, speaking as a linguist and educator. English should be learned as a language, not as a bondage. I want Koreans to find freedom from this bondage and learn English for the right reasons.

I'll post the Youtube link when it is available, and pray that some will be encouraged by it.

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