This year is the 30th anniversary of the start of English education in elementary schools in South Korea. The pivotal year when English classes began in nearly all elementary schools was 1996, with the official national rollout completed in March 1997. At the time, I was teaching in Japan, where the topic was big news in education circles. The 1990s were a period of rapid change and development in South Korea. The other important reform in English education was the adoption of listening comprehe