Let's Learn More Deeply About Korea Discovered Through BTS... Oxford University's Hallyu Academy Gains Popularity

10-Week Academy for the General Public
Over 90 People Registered in Just 10 Days, 'Popular'

Oxford University in the UK has launched a 10-week liberal arts course covering the Korean language and Korean culture in general.

On the 4th (local time), Oxford University announced that it has established a 10-week course Hallyu Academy (UK Hallyu Academy) for the general public and held the entrance ceremony the day before. Attendees of the entrance ceremony are taking a commemorative photo in front of Hertford College.
[Image source=Provided by Oxford University·Yonhap News]

On the 5th, Yonhap News reported that Oxford University opened the UK Hallyu Academy, a 10-week course for the general public, and held the entrance ceremony the day before. The Hallyu Academy is operated by Oxford University, with the Korean Education Center in the UK supporting operating expenses and joint program development. The course is conducted online through a metaverse platform produced by a Korean edutech company, taking about two hours every other Saturday. Certificates of completion will be issued to graduates, and the graduation ceremony will be held at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford University's graduation hall.

Professor Jo Ji-eun, who plans and operates the Oxford Hallyu Academy, said, "We plan to introduce Korean culture broadly, from K-pop to dramas, movies, food, and fashion, with Korean language at the center." She explained, "In the first half of the course, we will cover topics under the theme 'The Language of Hallyu,' including informal and honorific speech, dialects, the limitations of translating 'You,' and the 'one-inch subtitle barrier' mentioned by director Bong Joon-ho at the Oscars." In the latter half, the course will focus on figures from the Silla period to modern times, such as haenyeo (female divers), the female Silhak scholar Bingheogak Lee, painters Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok, King Sejong, King Jeongjo, Seo Taiji, and Queen Seondeok. Professor Jo added, "We confirmed the high popularity of Korean culture in the UK, with over 90 people registering within ten days. Participants range widely in age and occupation, from middle school students to university professors, and from teenagers to people in their 60s."

About 20 people from across the UK attended the entrance ceremony held at Hertford College, Oxford University. They explained that they are learning Korean to watch Korean dramas without subtitles, enjoy Korean food like tteokbokki, and have grown fond of hanbok by watching historical dramas. Many said they first got interested in Korean culture through BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan). Ahn Hee-seong, director of the Korean Education Center in the UK, said, "We hope the Hallyu Academy will help expand awareness of the Korean language and Korea, and support its adoption as a regular subject in UK secondary schools."

Additionally, Oxford University has begun a joint study with the UK government on why British students learn Korean and the effects of this learning. Professor Jo plans to conduct research on Korean language learning with the UK Department of Education for seven months until July this year and publish a policy report. The study will focus on the phenomenon where British teenagers lose interest in other foreign languages but study Korean voluntarily despite it not being part of exams, and how this positively affects their attitudes toward life.