Preservice English teachers’ perceptions about English as an international language (EIL) have not been adequately examined in different cross-cultural contexts. To fill that void, a total of 590 preservice English teachers from Indonesia (n = 344) and South Korea (n = 246) completed an EIL perception questionnaire. Subsequently, an independent samples t-test was conducted to examine differences between Indonesian and Korean preservice teachers with regard to their EIL perceptions. Three major findings were identified: first, Indonesian preservice teachers reported a higher level of perceived capacity to employ effective cross-cultural communicative strategies in comparison to their Korean counterparts. Second, although Korean preservice teachers acknowledged the existence of non-native varieties of English, they seemed hesitant to include non-native English accents in ELT listening materials. Intriguingly, the same phenomenon was not observed with the Indonesian group. Third, Indonesian preservice teachers were perceived to have a higher degree of ownership over their own English accents in contrast to the Korean group. These results are discussed with consideration of geographic, sociocultural and educational contexts of both countries that might have influenced shaping preservice English teachers’ language perceptions. Lastly, three pedagogical suggestions (i.e. Exposure and Critical Reflection, EIL Pedagogy Implementation, and Reality Check) will be offered.
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