Teaching 7 Languages from English to Arabic for 20,000 Won a Month... District Office Language Classes [Byeolbyeol Administration]

Yongsan-gu Office Operating 'Native Speaker Foreign Language Classroom' for 14 Years
Adults and Elementary Students Immersed in Foreign Languages
New Coding and Drama English Classes Added, Expanding to 44 Classes Next Year

Nicole, an English instructor at the Yongsan-gu Native Foreign Language Classroom (first on the right), is waving her hand with students during class. Photo by Minjin Kim enter@

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Operating 41 courses in 7 foreign languages. Total enrollment of 1,500 people. From age 7 (1st grade elementary school) to people in their 70s. A famous language academy in Yongsan, Seoul?

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the reporter visited five classrooms on the first floor of Yongsan Dream Tree Complex in Wonhyo-ro 1-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where classes in four foreign languages?English, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish?were in full swing.

The “Native Speaker Foreign Language Classroom” operated by Yongsan-gu is a language course running for 39 weeks annually, excluding the year-end and New Year holidays. This year, 41 courses in 7 languages?English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, and Arabic?are offered. There are 18 student classes for elementary and middle school students, and 23 adult classes held during the day and evening, with slightly more adult classes.

It is notable that courses in French, Vietnamese, and Arabic?languages rarely available to learn even in Seoul?are offered. English classes are divided into 7 levels, Chinese into 4 levels, and Japanese into 3 levels according to proficiency. This clearly differentiates these courses from hobby classes. The Arabic course includes a junior program for elementary and middle school students, Vietnamese is offered for adults, and both junior and adult courses are available for Spanish and French.

Kim Gyu-sang, director of SLI Lifelong Education Center, which is entrusted with operating Yongsan-gu’s Native Speaker Foreign Language Classroom, said, “Yongsan-gu is the only place in the country offering a junior Arabic course among all private academies,” adding, “Many residents who are proactive about self-development attend Spanish, French, and Vietnamese classes.”

Yongsan-gu has 51 embassies, U.S. military-related facilities, and rich cultural and linguistic resources unique to Yongsan, such as the Itaewon Tourism Special Zone. For these reasons, Yongsan-gu first opened the Native Speaker Foreign Language Classroom in 2011. Starting with 5 foreign languages and 13 courses, the program has steadily expanded every year.

Park Hee-young, mayor of Yongsan-gu, who has lived abroad for a long time, expanded the foreign language classroom. The number of courses increased from 34 classes in 2022 to 37 last year and 41 this year. Especially this year, the target for regular courses was expanded to include 1st and 2nd graders in elementary school, and specialized English courses such as coding English and drama English were introduced, gaining popularity. The multi-child discount, previously available for families with three or more children, was extended to families with two children.

Next year, the number of classes will increase further to 44. Lim Hong-jae, head of Yongsan-gu’s Education Planning Team, explained, “We plan to expand and reorganize the popular English conversation classes for lower elementary students and are considering adding an online Spanish class and foreign language test preparation classes such as TOEIC and TOEFL.”

Users are surprised by the variety of languages available and the number of courses, but they are even more amazed by the affordable tuition fees. Jang Joo-hyun (40, pseudonym), a student in the highest-level English class (level 7), said, “Preparing for reemployment was financially burdensome, but it’s great to attend classes at one-tenth the cost of private academy native speaker courses.” Kim Jung-woo (42, pseudonym), an employee on leave, said, “I found out about adult classes while managing my 1st grader’s English course and started attending native speaker classes. The tuition fee is so affordable that it’s not a burden even for two family members.”

The total tuition fee for a 13-week course (one term) at Yongsan-gu’s Native Speaker Foreign Language Classroom ranges from 30,000 to 60,000 KRW, which is about 10,000 to 20,000 KRW per month. Yongsan-gu offers tuition discounts for low-income families and multi-child households according to the Lifelong Education Promotion Ordinance. Popular courses such as English and Japanese have application competition rates as high as 3 to 1, and students are selected through a computerized lottery. Only Yongsan-gu residents can apply for courses.

A view of Yongsan Dream Tree Complex Town where the native foreign language classes of Yongsan-gu are held. This facility was used as the Yongsan-gu Office before Yongsan-gu Office moved to the Itaewon new building. Provided by Yongsan-gu.

According to the results of the “2023 Seoul Survey” announced last July, Yongsan-gu ranked first in satisfaction with the public education environment. Internally, this is seen as a result of the background mentioned above. Yongsan-gu, with a high proportion of foreign residents, is also striving to be designated as an Education Internationalization Special Zone in conjunction with the development of the Yongsan International Business District. If designated as a special zone, it will receive regulatory relaxations and various autonomies to promote education internationalization. No district in Seoul has yet been designated as an Education Internationalization Special Zone.

Mayor Park Hee-young said, “We have set the mid- to long-term development direction in education as a city for nurturing global talent,” adding, “We are working hard to establish an Education Internationalization Special Zone so that students and residents in the region can demonstrate their capabilities at global companies to be located in the Yongsan International Business District.”