Latest news with #KingSejongInstitutes
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
New Sejong Institutes to open amid growing demand for Korean language classes
SEOUL - Amid surging global interest in Korean language and culture, the King Sejong Institute Foundation, which oversees Korean language education abroad, is expanding its network to ease waitlists and meet growing demand for Korean classes worldwide. In 2025, 11 new King Sejong Institutes, named after King Sejong the Great (1397-1450), who created the Korean alphabet Hangeul, will open across nine countries, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 4. With the additions there will be a total of 252 institutes in 87 countries. In Egypt, where the only KSI in Cairo faced a waitlist of more than 1,200 students, two new centers will open at Ain Shams University and Alexandria University to accommodate learners eager to study Korean for academic, professional, and cultural reasons. The expansion reflects the growing presence of Korean businesses in Egypt, which has increased local demand for Korean language skills for employment. Uzbekistan, which already hosts seven KSIs, will gain an additional center at Ajou University in Tashkent, responding to rising demand among students preparing for study in Korea and seeking Korean language proficiency for employment opportunities. The country now sends over 12,000 students to Korea each year, the fourth highest after China, Vietnam and Mongolia. In Asia, new KSIs will open in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Dubai in United Arab Emirates, Shenyang in China, Taipei in Taiwan, and Munoz in the Philippines, while Europe's expanding Korean language demand has led to new centers in Bonn in Germany, Turin in Italy, and Miskolc in Hungary. In 2024 alone, a total of 210,374 students studied Korean both online and offline at King Sejong Institutes worldwide. This is a significant increase from 2007, when the first King Sejong Institute opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with just 13 centers in three countries opening that year, with 740 students. The ministry said that it planned to gradually expand the number of King Sejong Institutes to more than 350 by 2030 to ensure that Korean language learners worldwide can access classes as demand continues to grow. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival Asia Magnitude 5.4 quake shakes south-western Japan islands as temblors continue Singapore Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership Life 'I applied to over 300 jobs': What people wish they knew before they got laid off Asia Dream wheels, Malaysian deals: Singaporean car lovers find affordable indulgence across the border Asia How a Singaporean heatproofs himself to cope with 40 deg C summer in Chongqing
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
New Sejong Institutes to open amid growing demand for Korean language classes
Eleven new institutes in nine countries to open this year Amid surging global interest in Korean language and culture, the King Sejong Institute Foundation, which oversees Korean language education abroad, is expanding its network to ease waitlists and meet growing demand for Korean classes worldwide. This year, 11 new King Sejong Institutes, named after King Sejong the Great (1397-1450), who created the Korean alphabet Hangeul, will open across nine countries, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday. With the additions there will be a total of 252 institutes in 87 countries. In Egypt, where the only KSI in Cairo faced a waitlist of more than 1,200 students, two new centers will open at Ain Shams University and Alexandria University to accommodate learners eager to study Korean for academic, professional, and cultural reasons. The expansion reflects the growing presence of Korean businesses in Egypt, which has increased local demand for Korean language skills for employment. Uzbekistan, which already hosts seven KSIs, will gain an additional center at Ajou University in Tashkent, responding to rising demand among students preparing for study in Korea and seeking Korean language proficiency for employment opportunities. The country now sends over 12,000 students to Korea each year, the fourth highest after China, Vietnam and Mongolia. In Asia, new KSIs will open in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Dubai in United Arab Emirates, Shenyang in China, Taipei in Taiwan, and Munoz in the Philippines, while Europe's expanding Korean language demand has led to new centers in Bonn in Germany, Turin in Italy, and Miskolc in Hungary. In 2024 alone, a total of 210,374 students studied Korean both online and offline at King Sejong Institutes worldwide. This is a significant increase from 2007, when the first King Sejong Institute opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with just 13 centers in three countries opening that year, with 740 students. The ministry said that it planned to gradually expand the number of King Sejong Institutes to more than 350 by 2030 to ensure that Korean language learners worldwide can access classes as demand continues to grow.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
K-culture festivals are coming to you
Korea expands 'K-Culture' festivals to cities without Korean cultural centers In a move to broaden access to Korean culture globally, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched a series of Korean culture festivals in 52 cities and countries that currently lack Korean Cultural Centers. The ministry aims to introduce Korean culture to a wider audience by working closely with local governments, Korean language departments at local universities, King Sejong Institutes and diplomatic missions. The new initiative builds upon the existing 'Traveling K-Culture' program, which previously operated in cities within countries that have Korean Cultural Centers, by expanding to countries without the centers. This year, the program will directly reach 33 cities and support comprehensive Korean culture festivals in 19 additional countries through collaborations with Korean diplomatic missions. In Japan, the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo will host the 'Korean Culture Festival 2025' in Miyazaki prefecture in October. Performances will include local high school choirs singing 'Arirang' and Korean children's songs, followed by programs in traditional Korean music, classical music and taekwondo demonstrations. Thailand hosted a 'Korean Culture Bobusang' event in June at Khon Kaen University, where students wore traditional hanbok, sampled Korean food, and enjoyed cultural performances. Bobusang means 'traveling merchants' in Korean. Vietnam, where Korean is taught as a first foreign language, will see year-round festivals in regional cities like Da Nang and Hue, helping students deepen their understanding of Korean culture in partnership with local King Sejong Institutes. In Indonesia, a collaborative event with a national university in Yogyakarta will showcase a blend of traditional and contemporary Korean performances in November. In the United Kingdom, 'Korea Day' events are taking place at leading universities in Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool throughout the year. In Austria, the Korean Cultural Center will co-host the 'Graz Korean Culture Festival' with the city of Graz in September, while in Mexico, a festival in Veracruz in July will introduce Korean culture beyond the capital region. In the US, the Korean Cultural Center in Washington will partner with Olney Theater in Maryland to stage a play adaptation of the Canadian television sitcom "Kim's Convenience" in June and July. The Los Angeles Korean Cultural Center will collaborate with Cupbop, a global food entertainment group, to co-host the '2025 Korean Festival' in Utah in September. In Loja, Ecuador, "Ola Coreana en Loja" will take place in November, featuring Korean gugak, hanbok and Hangeul classes. In Teme, Ghana, in August, a theatrical performance will be staged featuring a Ghanaian adaptation of the classic Korean novel "The Tale of Simcheong," performed by Ghanaian actors, along with other events such as K-pop dancing by local performers.
