[2025 Audit] King Sejong Institute Waiting List Doubles, But New Designations Halved

Min Hyungbae: "15,698 on the waiting list last year...
Surge in Africa and other regions, pace of openings must keep up"

Last year, the number of people on the waiting list for King Sejong Institute nearly doubled compared to the previous year, but the pace of new designations has actually slowed.

According to data released on October 23 by Assemblyman Min Hyungbae of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, there were 15,698 people on the King Sejong Institute waiting list last year. This represents an increase of about two times compared to 7,840 in 2023.

By continent, Asia had the highest number with 5,874, followed by the Americas with 4,449, Europe with 3,502, Africa with 1,763, and Oceania with 110. Notably, the number of people on the waiting list in Africa surged more than seventeenfold.

However, the number of new designations has shown a marked decline. In 2021, 18 out of 38 countries were newly designated, resulting in a designation rate of 47.4%. This year, only 9 out of 43 countries were selected, causing the rate to plummet to 20.9%.

The King Sejong Institute Foundation plans to increase the number of King Sejong Institutes from 252 in 87 countries to 350 by 2030 to meet the rapidly growing demand for Korean language learning driven by the Korean Wave. However, the actual rate of opening new institutes is falling short of this goal.

Assemblyman Min pointed out, "Globally, the demand for Korean language learning is soaring, but the supply is severely lacking," adding, "There is an urgent need to establish systematic national-level support and an efficient strategy for opening new King Sejong Institutes."