Session 1

 

Let’s Have a Talk!

 

1. How’s it going? What did you do before coming here?

2. Do you ever exercise? If you do, how often?

3. Have you ever joined Gwangandaegyo Bridge Walking Festival before?

4. When you were little, did your parents get you a gift on Children’s Day? Which one was the best?

 

S. Koreans Want to Marry but Don't Want Children

Many young adults in South Korea want to get married, but they're not as keen to have children, according to new data. The country has had one of the world's lowest birth rates for a number of years, and while it did increase a little in 2024, the government is worried about the future.

 

The survey, done by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, asked 2,500 adults — aged between 20 and 49 — about marriage and children. The same number of adults in France, Germany, Japan and Sweden were also asked for their opinions.

 

The survey found that 53% of South Koreans want to get married. That was the highest number among all the countries. Just 32% of Japanese participants said they want to get married. However, only 31% of South Koreans said they want to have children. Only Japan — another country with a low birth rate — had a lower figure, at 20%. And those in South Korea who want to have children said they want, on average, to have 1.74 children. This was the lowest average of all the countries.

 

The average number of children born to each woman needs to be 2.1 for a country's population to stay the same. When asked why they don't want to have children, many South Koreans spoke about "future uncertainty." Many also said they expect life to get more expensive when a child is born, and that their freedoms will decrease. This was less of a worry among people in the three European countries.

 

 

1. How many people are in your family? Do you feel they get you well?

2. Do you want to get married? If you do, do you want kids?

3. What do you think about meeting person through a dating app or a match making service?

4. What do you think are the main reasons some people choose not to have children in Korea?

 

   

Session 2

 

Let’s Have a Talk!

 

1. Do you wear sunscreen?

2. Do you have a driver’s license? Was it easy to get it?

3. If you run into your ex in the same class, what would you do?

4. This Friday is Parents’ Day. Which one do your parents prefer: cash or flowers?

 

These Three Cities Have the Highest Cost of Living

The Economist Group’s latest cost of living report has been released, and for the first time, three cities share first place as the most expensive in the world: Singapore, Hong Kong and Paris. Zurich, Switzerland, was fourth on the list. Geneva, Switzerland, and Osaka, Japan, shared fifth place; Seoul, South Korea, came seventh.

 

The report compares the prices of over 160 things like food, bills, rent and transportation in 133 cities around the world. For example, a woman’s haircut in Singapore costs $96.01 on average, but in Paris it's $119.04. However, a bottle of beer is $2.10 in Paris but $2.37 in Singapore.

 

The report found that Asian cities tend to have the most expensive groceries, while European cities tend to have the most expensive household goods and entertainment. The report also found that “Asia is home to some of the world’s most expensive cities, but also to many of the world’s cheapest cities,” particularly in India and Pakistan.

 

The second-cheapest city is Damascus, the capital of Syria – a country that has been at war with itself since 2011. In last place is Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, whose economy is in serious trouble. Despite being home to the cheapest city in the world, the value of Venezuela’s money is so low that people are now trading personal items like clothing and jewelry to buy food.

 

 

1. Where are you from? Tell us about the positives or negatives of where you grew up.

2. Do you have plans to study abroad? Where do you have in mind?

3. If you could buy a house anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

4. Do you think Busan is an expensive place to live?