Gireogi appa
South Korean term meaning "goose dad" / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A gireogi appa (Korean: 기러기 아빠; lit. goose dad) is a South Korean term that refers to a man who works in Korea while his wife and children stay in an English-speaking country such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand for the sake of their children's education.[1]
Many Korean people desire to speak English well. This desire is sometimes referred to as "English Fever".[2] English proficiency is very important not only for students but also for office workers because they believe that English skills determine their social position and promotion in the company. However, it is not easy for Koreans to learn and speak English fluently due to the difference in sentence structure between Korean and English. To overcome this, some parents raise their young children in an anglophone country, as mothers stay with the children in the host country, while fathers live alone in Korea.[2]
The term is inspired by the fact that geese are a species that migrate, just as gireogi appa fathers travel great distances to see their families.[3] Estimates of the number of gireogi appa in South Korea range as high as 200,000 men.[4] The word gireogi appa was included in the report '2002 New Word' by the National Institute of Korean Language.[5]