KB News DeskOverseas educators say more students are turning to Korean as a language of opportunity
Teachers and education administrators from 44 countries gathered at the National Assembly on Thursday for an annual conference aimed at expanding Korean-language education overseas.
The Education Ministry and the International Korean Language Foundation held a ceremony at Sarangjae, a hanok-style venue at the National Assembly, to celebrate the 24th International Conference for Korean Language Educators Abroad.
Launched in 2003, the conference is held annually for overseas educators involved in Korean-language education. It is designed to deepen their understanding of Korean culture and support the spread of Korean-language education overseas.
During the event, the ministry presented education ministerial commendations to five people who have contributed to promoting Korean-language education in their respective countries.
The recipients were Asya Antova, head teacher of foreign languages at Bulgaria’s 18th Secondary School; David McColgan, principal of Mount Tahoma High School in the US; Katelyn Derry, principal of Democracy Prep Harlem High School in the United States; Melba Libia Cardenas Beltran, dean of the Foreign Languages Department at the National University of Colombia; and Wang Siyang, a teacher at Chengdu Middle School in China.
The recipients were recognized for spending six to 13 years in their home countries to secure Korean-language learning opportunities for students. They said they had seen growing interest in Korean-language learning in their countries during their careers in education.
“There is a real growing interest in learning Korean among Bulgarian students,” Antova, who pioneered a Korean-language program at her school in Bulgaria, told The Korea Herald.
“We introduced Korean in 2011,” she said. “Now, our school has the biggest Korean-language program in Europe.”
Antova, who studied at Yonsei University 15 years ago, said her time in Korea changed her life and helped her realize her “mission.”
“Today, I have the privilege of teaching at the first school in Europe where students study Korean as their first foreign language from grades one through 12 through an extensive Korean-language program,” she said.
More than 400 students currently study Korean at her school, she said, adding that both students and parents view the language as a valuable asset.
“Bulgarian parents want their children to study Korean because they know about companies like Samsung, and they think it is good for their children to have opportunities to study the language and work at such companies,” she said.
McColgan said more US students are entering high school with prior exposure to Korean and are demanding more opportunities to continue learning the language.
“I have been at our school for 12 years, and more students are entering high school with some knowledge of Korean,” McColgan said. “There is great energy, and students are excited to learn.”
Cardenas said Colombian students are also increasingly eager to learn Korean as a foreign language, although the country’s language education policy remains largely focused on improving English proficiency.
“Students who already excel at English at the school based at our university are committing themselves to studying Korean instead of taking English classes,” Cardenas said. “They are advancing their Korean while their peers study English.”
This year’s conference, held from June 29 to Friday, brought together 117 participants from 44 countries under the theme of “Korean-language education in the era of artificial intelligence.”
Participants discussed AI education environments in their respective countries and strategies for using AI in Korean-language classes.
The educators also visited the Education Ministry, where they received a briefing on Korea’s major education policies and took part in a question-and-answer session with ministry officials.
“Interest and efforts from education officials overseas are crucial to expanding Korean-language education,” Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said.
“We will continue to honor educators who have helped raise awareness of Korea and the Korean language in their countries, while further strengthening the foundation for the global expansion of Korean-language education.”
