Nepal and Cuba Also See Growing Enthusiasm for Learning Korean

Ministry of Culture Opens 18 New Sejong Institutes This Year
21,6226 Students Last Year... 20.8% Increase

Educational institutions for learning the Korean language and Korean culture will be established in Nepal and Cuba as well.

Foreign students participating in the Sejong Institute Outstanding Learners Training Program are learning Bongsan Talchum at the National Hangeul Museum in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Sejong Institute Foundation, the participants will stay in Korea until the 10th, experiencing various aspects of Korean culture such as Samulnori, K-pop, and Taekwondo. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 24th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that eighteen new Sejong Institutes were opened this year in fifteen countries. These include Kathmandu in Nepal and Havana in Cuba, where there were previously none, as well as Berlin and W?rzburg in Germany, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Stockholm in Sweden, Bukhara and Jizzakh in Uzbekistan, Palermo in Italy, Bengaluru in India, Chengdu in China, Kostanay in Kazakhstan, Split in Croatia, Bangkok in Thailand, Katowice in Poland, Iloilo and Quezon City in the Philippines, and Perth in Australia. They will be operated on a pilot basis for six months and officially launched next year.

Nepal is a sending country under the Employment Permit System. The demand for learning Korean is increasing every year. However, the learning environment is somewhat insufficient. Since a Sejong Institute has been designated in Kathmandu, the capital, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expects that Korean language education and the spread of Korean culture will become more systematized. Expectations for Cuba are also high. Since diplomatic relations were established with our country last February, various cultural and human exchanges are anticipated. A ministry official said, "Latin America is a region with a high enthusiasm for learning Korean," adding, "Sejong Institutes will serve as hubs for cultural exchange through the Korean language."

With this new establishment, the total number of Sejong Institutes worldwide has expanded to 256 locations in 88 countries. Last year, 216,226 students studied Korean through online and offline programs, an increase of 20.8% from the previous year (178,973 students). Compared to 2020 (101,675 students), the number has more than doubled. A representative from the Sejong Institute Foundation said, "The competition rate for Sejong Institute applications this year reached 5.4 to 1, reflecting the strong enthusiasm for learning Korean in each country," and added, "We will strengthen management and supervision to ensure thorough and stable operation."