Seven more Korean Cultural Centers will open next year, making 28 around the world, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Tuesday.

The new centers are scheduled to open in Hungary, Mexico, India, Thailand, Belgium, Brazil and Egypt by the end of 2012, the ministry said in a year-end press release.

The cultural centers will continue their activities of introducing and promoting Korea’s culture, and increasing cultural exchanges with the respective organizations in each overseas city.

Currently, Korea has 21 cultural centers throughout the world, including five which opened this year in Australia, Spain, Indonesia, the Philippines and Turkey.

The number of cultural centers has been increasing steadily ever since the first one opened in Tokyo in 1979, but at a slow pace until 2008 when it reached 12. Since then, nine more have opened in just three years thanks to the growing interest and demand for Korean culture, the Foreign Ministry said.

The centers have been hosting various events like K-pop contests and Korean film festivals to boost hallyu, or Korean Wave, throughout the world.

The K-pop Festival, successfully held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province on Dec. 7, was the final round of competitions hosted by the government in 16 different cities including Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles.

The centers have also been offering other events and classes catered to the characteristic of the respective cities, such as Korean language courses, K-pop classes and support for the broadcasting of K-dramas.

The number of students enrolling for the language courses is rapidly increasing in most cities. In Russia, for example, there were 380 students enrolled in March 2011, but this had shot up to 1,200 by September.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)