English language learning books created by a Korean company have been gaining popularity in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Woongjin Compass Co. has upped shipment to meet increasing demand from overseas private and public schools. Woongjin Group’s English education service unit Woongjin Compass began exporting English language books in 2003 and since has kept up annual growth rate of over 10 percent. The company is the only exporter of English instruction books from Korea, a country known to be obsessive about English learning.

"We have a competitive advantage in leveling program to help children learn English as a second language, having developed programs for a decade,” said Choi Hoi-young, chief executive of Woongjin Compass. “We focus on developing learning kits that non-English native speakers can find it easier to relate to in their environment.”

For example, Woongjin Compass classifies 8,000 basic, familiar and advanced English vocabularies depending on their frequency and uses them for each book. “Our books are recognized by English teachers looking for easy instruction textbooks with more frequently used and familiar vocabularies,” Choi said.

Education facilities or schools for immigrants in the U.S. and the U.K. are using Woongjin Compass books. The company exports its English training books to 47 countries, and its annual exports stand 800,000 books a year. Its exports representing 40 percent of the total revenue last year reached about 4 billion won ($3.4 million).

Woongjin Compass is also planning to launch ‘Big Box,’ English learning online platform based on its teaching know-how. A trial version of the mobile application is available through smart devices. It targets children aged 5 to 10 years and features scenario-based videos and intriguing games to encourage young children to learn English in a more natural manner.

By Jin Young-tae

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