Social and political status of the English language in the Republic of Korea in the globalization era

This thesis examines how young Koreans perceive English and what language ideologies are associated with its exceptionally strong position in contemporary South Korean society. In the theoretical section, I present a critical sociolinguistic framework and situate the phenomenon of "English fever" within the contexts of globalization, language policy, and social inequality. I provide a detailed overview of the historical development of language policy from the 1990s to the present, the main language ideologies linked to English, and the role of English as a symbol of prestige and a means of social stratification. The empirical section is based on an online questionnaire survey conducted among 200 young Koreans and focuses on their attitudes toward English, their perceptions of language policy, their experiences with English education and standardized testing, as well as the relationship between English, identity, and social inequality. In the conclusion, I summarize and interpret the findings of the research.