Experts say an increasing number of students are going overseas alone and staying either in boarding schools or local homes. Those conditions are not ideal, as the study showed that students who lived with their parents did better at adapting to their new environment than those who were alone.

According to the report, over 60 percent of Korean students studying abroad also took after-school classes, either with tutors (38.9 percent) or private institutes (24.8 percent). The most common subjects were local languages including English (36.4 percent) and mathematics (20.4 percent). And while in Korea during their vacations, 44.1 percent of those students received tutoring or studied in private schools.

These overseas students tended to hold a dim view of Korean society and Korean education. According to the report, asked how they viewed Korean society, 38 percent of respondents said it was "bad" while only 33 percent called it "good". In contrast, 48 percent of respondents said their host nations were "good", with only 20 percent answering "bad".

Asked what they thought was the biggest problem in Korean society, most respondents (28.9 percent) said, "Education, money and outward appearance determine people's social status." The next biggest complaint was that "Koreans are indifferent to their neighbors and only concerned about their families." Difficulty talking to seniors and crime were next.

When asked the good points of their host nations, the students listed: "Care and affection for their neighbors", "Respect of individual rights and privacy" and "advanced public facilities".

As for the Korean education system, most overseas students, at 21.4 percent, said that rote learning was the biggest problem. By contrast, the students said their new schools are good mainly because "schools respect students as they have only a small number of students." But studying overseas is tough, with six out of 10 students reporting "more than average" stress levels while learning abroad. To release the tension, 14.2 percent played sports, while 14 percent relied on music.

Curiously, when asked if they would recommend studying overseas to their friends in Korea, 52.2 percent said "no". The explanation for this, the report said, is that although they're satisfied with their lives overseas, "they still feel somewhat uncomfortable and unstable." Asked what made them decide to study overseas, most students (23.2 percent) answered "for the future". Next on the list were "to learn foreign languages such as English and Chinese" and "recommended by parents." Some said they left Korea because they disliked Korea's educational environment.

Not surprisingly, most overseas students have wealthy parents, with the 39.2 percent majority of respondents claiming that their fathers "run companies". Next were office professionals such as bankers, public officials and company workers (26.6%) followed by professional experts such as doctors, lawyers and professors (17.9%).

Lee Sun-hyung, a professor at Seoul National University, said "It is urgent to strengthen our education system to better teach foreign languages, including launching a public broadcasting station for children to learn foreign languages at an early age." Professor Lee also suggested building a government organization to manage children studying overseas.

(englishnews@chosun.com )