‘This Discourages Other Cultures’

Hyekyong Schrom’s English lessons began in junior high. South Korea sees an advantage to multilingualism. Hyekyong was force-fed English grammar in school, then conversation skills in college.

By the time she married an American soldier and moved to the United States in 1980, Hyekyong was more proficient in English than many lifelong Americans.

She is proud of her heritage and makes sure her three children understand their Korean roots. She speaks Korean with them at home. Her oldest son, who’s 16, has traveled to Korea to visit relatives and study the language since he was 4.

“It’s very important to me that my kids know Korean,” she says. “I want them to know they belong in both countries.”

After her family moved to the Garwood area in 1988, she says she attracted stares in the grocery store. “It was as if they’d never seen an Asian woman before.”

The county commissioners’ decision to make English the county’s official language doesn’t surprise her in an area so lacking in cultural diversity.

It’s obvious that English already is the official language, she says, and that Commissioner Ron Rankin’s intent is to erase any signs of diversity from the area.

“This discourages other cultures,” she says. “We should be encouraging kids to learn about other cultures.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo