Support for Korean Language Education in Primary and Secondary Schools

Background

As Korea's international standing has risen and the influence of the Korean Wave has grown, demand for learning Korean has increased and diversified. Meeting that demand calls for national support so that schools abroad can adopt Korean as a second foreign language and open Korean language classes.

Legal basis

Under Article 34 of the Act on Educational Support for Korean Nationals Residing Abroad, where foreign educational institutions and organisations run curricula in Korean language, Korean history or Korean culture, all or part of the necessary operating costs may be supported within budgetary limits.

Current adoption

The pilot scheme for adopting Korean as a second foreign language began in 2016–2017 and runs as a regular subject in middle schools designated by Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training and in high schools designated by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training. Adoption of Korean as an after-school subject is decided by the Department of Education and Training or by individual schools themselves.

You can see which schools have adopted Korean on the map and list on the Korean-teaching Schools page.

Support provided

The center supports Korean language teachers and instructors, provides textbooks and supplementary materials for Korean classes, and funds other efforts to widen adoption and raise the quality of instruction.