Is South Korea mostly monolingual or are they reasonably fluent in English? Asking for justification in including a language selection feature in an app I made.
Thanks in advance
I find most Koreans read English better than they speak, and I would argue they read English a lot more fluently than most of Asia (due to their alphabet based system for writing, and aggressive/competitive educational system). Speaking, on the other hand, is a hard one to gauge... like much of Asia 'face' comes into play. You might not see someone's 'speed' (funny to use that term here), as sometimes they are embarrassed or don't want to embarrass themselves. Even when they are capable... they might also go the opposite direction and use stock phrases, or nod along to everything, making you think they understand.
As another person said, most under 30s will have been drilled in a Hagwon and understand basics, some will understand English at a more complex level. I would say definitely cater to the language rather than expect them to be comfortable or confident with English... unless it is simple/basic instruction/feedback.