The Ministry of Education said Sunday that it has signed a letter of intent with French education authorities to establish a language teaching exchange program, marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The four-party agreement — involving South Korea’s Ministry of Education, the National Institute for International Education, France’s Ministry of National Education and France Education International — was signed Thursday at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit.
Under the program, South Korea will send one teaching assistant to France for one year to teach Korean in exchange for receiving a French teaching assistant. The program is set to begin in the fall of 2026 and will be expanded in subsequent years.
Korean teaching assistants sent under the program will support full-time teachers at French middle and high schools in Korean language classes. They will not have direct responsibility for classroom operations or student assessment.
France currently offers Korean as an elective foreign language subject in the Baccalaureate, the country’s college entrance exam. As of 2025, more than 1,800 students at 60 schools in France were studying Korean.
South Korea also offers French as an elective subject in the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung.
“We believe it is meaningful to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties with France through this letter of intent,” said Ha Yu-kyung, director general for global education planning at the Education Ministry.
“We hope participation by young people will further strengthen educational exchange and cooperation between Korea and France.”
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
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