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       현) 남부행정고시학원 영어 전임

       현) 코리아타임스(The Korea Times) 객원논설위원

`1) Since he was an elementary schoolboy, Cho Min-Hong stood out in the making of robots, and won several awards in international contests. He also made headlines last year by becoming the first graduate of a vocational high school to enter the prestigious KAIST. On Tuesday, he was found lying on his motor bike surrounded by several empty bottles of sleeping pills. The deaths of young people are always sad. Sadder still ― and frustrating ― are the losses of young, talented ones. It may be too soon to presume the cause of Cho’s apparent suicide was the stress from study, including the scholastic warning he got from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. 2) According to Cho’ s friends, however, the 19-year-old mechanical genius suffered from the thought that his possible failure to catch up with classmates who graduated from elite science schools would leave a bad example for other vocational school graduates.

3)Even so, one feels tempted to ascribe the tragic end of a young talent to a personal failure. And it may be true to some extent. But Cho’s death should serve as an occasion to shed light on the dark sides of the new college entry scheme called the "admissions officer system.” President Lee Myung-bak has instructed the introduction of the alternative method, which picks up successful applicants not based on test scores but on assessing officers’ interviews that focus on students’ future potential and special merits and also takes their regional and familial background into account.

We support the new system in view of enhancing equal opportunities in education. `4) As in many cases, however, the devil was in the details ― the less than meticulous screening standards and insufficient attention after the entrance. This is not to say that KAIST and other major universities have done nothing to take extra care of these "special-case” entrants, who accounted for more than 10 percent of total freshmen quotas last year. Unfortunately, their efforts ― mainly linking students to professors and high-performing seniors for counseling in scholastic and personal matters ― don’t seem to have worked well, indicating they were more demonstrative than substantive. 5) School authorities will need to place the first priority on a students’ scholastic capacity, as the college entrance cannot afford to be some eye-catching events or school PR activities in this country with notorious educational zeal.

In the case of the ill-fated robot genius, we doubt he might have needed to agonize over mathematics and science, or even entered KAIST ― a school of pure science ― in the first place. 6)If Korea had had good, more practical engineering college, like Japan, where students focus more on experiments than theory, Cho’s inventive genius could have blossomed through numerous trials and errors. 7) Once these students enter colleges, schools should provide care in far more detailed matters, as do their U.S. counterparts, which offer special classes for even reading texts and writing thesis. The latest incident should be a reminder that schools’ foremost concerns should not be picking up but turning out excellent students.  

Young talent"s death

Robot genius failed to become study robot

어린 인재(人才)의 죽음   

로봇영재 공부로봇 되지 못해

1) Since he was an elementary schoolboy,/ Cho Min-Hong stood out in the making of robots, and/ won several awards in international contests.

그가 초등학교 (남)학생이었던 이래,/ 조민홍 군은 로봇을 만드는데 있 어 걸출했고/ 국제대회에서도 몇몇 상을 수상한 바가 있다.

2) According to Cho’s friends, however,/ the 19-year-old mechanical genius suffered from the thought/ that his possible failure to catch up with classmates who graduated from elite science schools/ would leave a bad example for other vocational school graduates.

① 하지만 조 군의 친구들에 따르면,/ ② 이 19세의 기계(로봇) 영재는 (③ / ④) 생각으로부터 고통을 겪었다고 한다./ ③ 엘리트 과학(고등)학교 (과고)를 졸업한 급우들을 따라잡지 못할 수 있는 상황이/ ④ 다른 직업학 교(전문계고) 졸업자들에게 나쁜 예를 남길 것이라는

3) Even so,/ one feels tempted to ascribe the tragic end of a young talent to a personal failure.

그렇기는 하지만,/ 한 어린 영재의 비극적인 종말을 개인의 실패 탓으 로 돌리고 싶은 유혹을 느낀다.  

4) As in many cases, however,/ the devil was in the details/ ― the less than meticulous screening standards and/ insufficient attention after the entrance.

하지만 많은 경우에 그런 것처럼,/ 다루기 힘든 문제는 세부적인 사항들 에 들어있다/ - 즉 그다지 세심하지 않는 (적격여부의) 선발 기준과/ 입학 이후의 충분하지 못한 관심이 그것이다.

5) School authorities will need to place the first priority on a students’ scholastic capacity,/ as the college entrance cannot afford to be some eye-catching events or school PR activities/ in this country with notorious educational zeal.

① 학교당국은 (②) 학생들의 학업(수학)능력에 일차적인 우선을 둘 필 요가 있을 것이다./ ② 대학입학이 (③) 일부 눈길(이목)을 끄는 행사 또 는 학교홍보활동일 만한 여유가 없으므로/ ③ 악명 높은 교육열을 가지고 있는 이 나라에서

6) If Korea had had good, more practical engineering college,/ like Japan, where students focus more on experiments than theory,/ Cho’s inventive genius could have blossomed through numerous trials and errors.

① 만일 한국이 (②) 양호하며 보다 실용적인 공과대학을 두고 있었더라 면,/ ② 학생들이 이론 보다는 실험에 보다 초점을 두는 일본처럼/ ③ 조 군의 창의(독창)적인 천재성은 수많은 시행착오를 거치면서 꽃필 수 있었 을 것이다.

7) Once these students enter colleges,/ schools should provide care in far more detailed matters,/ as do their U.S. counterparts,/ which offer special classes for even reading texts and writing thesis.

① 일단 이런 학생들이 대학에 들어가면,/ ② 학교(대학)들은 (③ / ④) 훨씬 더 세부적인 문제들에 대해 보살펴주어야 한다./ ④ 미국의 대학 들이 하는 것처럼/ ③ 심지어 본문을 읽고 논문을 쓰기 위한 특별학급을 제 공하는