Yes, knowing a second language as popular as English is a status symbol. Again, for good reasons. Imagine you're a person that only knows Korean. You've limited who you can do business with to only Koreans. Remember, we're in a world of globalization now. This is not a Korean specific thing. I'm from Africa and knowing a second language is important. If you ever want the good jobs, or to do business deals with large companies, then knowing an international language like English is necessary. It's not an inferiority complex, it's just smart. Imagine you're hiring employees, one can only speak Korean, the other can speak both Korean and English. Imagine their resumes are basically identical, which one would you hire? Even if it's just something simple like being a cashier. Imagine how many tourists your English speaking employee can interact with. It's a class thing because the higher paying jobs, are the same jobs where you need to interact with outsiders even more.
