18 New Sejong Institutes Established in 26 Locations Across 18 Countries... Vietnam and Uzbekistan as Key Bases

First Entry into 5 Countries Including Morocco, Tanzania, Bolivia, Slovenia, and Nepal
"Korean as the First Foreign Language in Vietnam... Foreign Language Subject at Military Schools in Uzbekistan"

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the King Sejong Institute Foundation announced on the 9th that they will establish twenty-six additional King Sejong Institutes in eighteen countries this year. The King Sejong Institute is an overseas Korean language education institution. It collaborates with qualified educational institutions to promote the Korean language and Korean culture.

The newly added locations include Kathmandu, Nepal; Malacca, Malaysia; Rabat, Morocco; Darkhan, Mongolia; Bloomington, USA; Dalat, Bien Hoa, Tra Vinh, Ho Chi Minh, and Hung Yen, Vietnam; La Paz, Bolivia; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Khirdalan, Azerbaijan; Staffordshire, United Kingdom; Namangan, Denau, Samarkand, Tashkent, and Fergana, Uzbekistan; Chennai, India; Tangerang, Indonesia; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Iloilo, Philippines; and Budapest, Hungary. This is the first time King Sejong Institutes have been established in Morocco, Tanzania, Bolivia, Slovenia, and Nepal.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official stated, "Eighty-five institutions from forty-three countries applied for the new King Sejong Institute call for proposals," adding, "We carefully reviewed operational capabilities and conditions through document screening and video interviews before making decisions." The official further explained, "Vietnam, which recently adopted Korean as its first foreign language, and Uzbekistan, where Korean has been officially adopted as a foreign language subject in military schools, will each operate five additional institutes."

With this designation, the number of King Sejong Institutes, which started in 2007, has increased to 234 locations in 82 countries. The Ministry and the King Sejong Institute Foundation plan to expand to 270 locations by next year. They intend to operate local teacher training programs and create various cultural exchange opportunities to help people worldwide access the Korean language easily and familiarly.

Minister Hwang Hee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, "I am pleased that there is great interest in Korea despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," and added, "We will spare no policy support to ensure that the Korean language becomes the center of a new Korean Wave and expands globally."