"Where Is 'Chuhu Gonggo High School?'... Adult Literacy Drops to First Grade Level [Youth Report]"

'Copying by Hand' Gains Popularity Among Millennials and Gen Z
An Effective Way to Improve Literacy
Sales of Related Books Surge

Recently, the decline in adult literacy has emerged as a serious social issue. Misunderstandings of basic vocabulary such as "saheul" (three days), "geumil" (today), and "simsimhan sagwa" (sincere apology) have become more frequent, leading to numerous errors in communication. As a result, "copying by hand" (transcription) is gaining attention as a way to improve literacy skills. People are making efforts to enhance their vocabulary and writing skills by copying books by hand.

1.46 Million Korean Adults Have 'First Grade' Level Literacy

[Image source=Pixabay]

According to the results of the 4th Adult Literacy Survey announced by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education, 3.3% of Korean adults last year were classified as illiterate adults (literacy level 1), meaning they struggle with basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. Literacy is divided into four levels. Level 1 requires learning equivalent to first or second grade in elementary school and indicates an inability to perform basic reading, writing, and arithmetic needed for daily life. Level 2, which requires learning at the third to sixth grade elementary school level, accounted for 5.2% (2.31 million people), while level 3, which requires junior high school (grades 7-9) learning, was 8.1% (3.58 million people).

In fact, debates over declining literacy are ongoing in online communities. In recent years, there have been repeated cases of people confusing "saheul" (three days) with "four days," "geumil" (today) with "Friday," and "simsimhan sagwa" (sincere apology) with "insincere apology," turning the issue into a social topic. Recently, a post titled "Where is Chuhu Technical High School?" sparked controversy in an online community. The author, identified as A, asked, "Where is Chuhu Technical High School? It doesn't appear in the map app. Does anyone know where it is?" This appears to be a misunderstanding of "chuhu gonggo" (subsequent announcement) as "gonggo" (an abbreviation for technical high school).

Additionally, in July, it was reported that a current daycare teacher posted a notice to parents stating, "The location will change in case of rain," only to be asked by one parent, "Which city is Ucheon-si?" There was also a case where a part-time job applicant wrote their phone model instead of their phone number in the "mobile phone" section of the application form, providing an example that was more amusing than frustrating.

3 out of 10 Office Workers Are 'Short-Form Addicts'

[Image source=Online Community]

Several factors have been cited as reasons for declining literacy, including low reading rates, the spread of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and excessive consumption of short-form content. In particular, short-form videos, which compress content into clips of about one minute or show only selected scenes, often lack context. As a result, people have become so accustomed to short and stimulating content that they struggle to read long-form text or concentrate on lengthy video content.

Short-form addiction is a serious issue not only among teenagers but also among adults. In May, Incruit surveyed 870 office workers about their short-form viewing habits, and 27.4% of respondents identified themselves as "short-form addicts." This means that 3 out of 10 office workers consider themselves addicted to short-form content. Among those in their 20s, the proportion reached 48.9%, and among those in their 30s, it was 30.8%, the second highest. The most common reason for watching short-form content was "because I can watch a lot of content in a short time," cited by 45.1% of respondents. Another 32.3% said, "I watch it out of habit, with no particular reason."

'Copying by Hand' Draws Attention Amid Literacy Decline

As concerns over declining literacy grow, copying by hand and handwriting are gaining popularity, especially among people in their 20s and 30s. On social networking services (SNS), it is now common to see users proudly sharing their handwritten work. Searching hashtags such as "copying by hand" or "handwriting" on Instagram yields about 640,000 and 3.07 million posts, respectively.

Copying by hand is considered an effective way to improve literacy. By slowly reading and copying texts with complex logical structures, people can internalize the context and vocabulary contained in the writing. Another reason for its popularity is that all you need is a pen and a book, making it easy to enjoy copying by hand anytime and anywhere.

As interest in copying by hand grows, related books are also gaining attention. "A Page a Day: A Copying Notebook for My Vocabulary," written by Yoo Sunkyung and published in March, has remained among the top bestsellers for seven consecutive months. The book contains 134 carefully selected passages for readers to copy, and it ranked third on the overall domestic book bestseller list at Yes24 during the third week of September.

In addition, the publication of books emphasizing literacy and vocabulary is rapidly increasing. Yes24 stated that the number of books published with keywords such as "literacy" and "vocabulary" has quadrupled over the past four years. In 2020, there were 36 such books published, but last year the number rose to 149, and from January to July this year alone, 146 titles were released. Sales are also on the rise. Compared to the previous year, sales increased by 11.6% in 2022, 26.7% in 2022, and by 80.6% from January to July this year.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education launched the "Adult Literacy Education Support Project" in 2006 and has supported about 700,000 people to date. Choi Changik, Director of Lifelong Vocational Education Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "We will support literacy education in various fields, including digital, daily life, and finance, in addition to basic reading, writing, and arithmetic."