<p>"DALLAS – Kevin Yoo began high school four years ago by saying good-bye to his parents in South Korea and moving to the United States alone…</p>
<p>He’s not alone. Increasingly large numbers of Korean youths are moving to English-speaking countries to study.</p>
<p>“In Korea, they get out of school really late, like 9 or 10 p.m., and it’s so hard to get into good colleges,” said Kevin, 19. “Here I can study and I can play sports, and there’s so much opportunity to go to good colleges.”</p>
<p>Older students such as Kevin often come alone on student visas. But growing numbers of elementary-school-age children are moving with their mothers, while their fathers remain in Korea to work. The divided families are known as kirogi, or “wild geese.”</p>
<p>Many Korean parents believe their children must become fluent in English to achieve career success in a globalized economy. The intense academic pressure in Korean schools, and the dearth of slots at top universities motivate their decisions, especially if their children are not top students.</p>
<p>The Korean government is fighting the exodus of young people by expanding English education in that country. But the strategy hasn’t worked yet. According to the Korean Educational Development Institute, 29,511 students in elementary through high school left the country in 2006 for study abroad, a number that has nearly tripled over five years.</p>
<p>But many Koreans worry that the separation from family exacts a high emotional cost…"
[More</a> Korean families sending kids to study in the U.S. | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press](<a href=“http://freep.com/article/20081027/FEATURES01/810270312]More”>http://freep.com/article/20081027/FEATURES01/810270312)</p>