The Education Ministry said Monday it has opened the Overseas Korean Language Education Support Center in central Seoul to provide systematic assistance for Korean language classes at schools abroad.
The center, housed at the International Korean Education Foundation, is the first institution dedicated to supporting Korean language education in schools overseas.
The center will analyze each country’s education system and demand for Korean language learning at the elementary to high school level, and develop tailored promotion strategies. It will also support training for local teachers to ensure Korean can take root in national curricula.
Efforts to expand Korean classes overseas date back to 1999, when the ministry supported the opening of a Korean language class in the United States. Since then, it has helped schools worldwide incorporate the language as an official subject by providing operating funds, dispatching teachers and running local teacher training programs.
The number of overseas schools offering Korean classes has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching 2,526 schools across 46 countries in 2024, with some 220,000 students enrolled.
Despite such growth, many programs have relied heavily on the individual capacity of Korean Education Centers and embassies in each country, resulting in uneven strategies and limited evaluation of effectiveness. Officials say the new center will bring more expertise and coordination to the field.
“With global interest in the Korean language rising alongside the spread of Korean popular culture, it is crucial to respond strategically to this demand,” said Ha Yu-kyung, director general for global education planning at the ministry.
“Through the Overseas Korean Language Education Support Center, we will work to build sustainable systems that embed Korean in local curricula and institutions.”
The center will be led by Kang Seung-hye, a professor of Korean language education at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Education. The International Korean Education Foundation will operate the center for a five-year term.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
