King Sejong Institute to Open 1st Seoul Center

Students at the King Sejong Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The first King Sejong Institute center in Seoul will open next month to meet rising demand for learning Korean language and culture from foreigners living in South Korea, its operator said Wednesday.

King Sejong Institute Foundation said it will test run Yongsan Sejong Institute in Yongsan, central Seoul, from Oct. 14 for three months in cooperation with the district office, the first time that the foundation has partnered with a local government to run an institute in South Korea.

The foundation said the Yongsan center is designed to give broader opportunities to a growing number of foreign residents who want to learn Korean.

According to the latest government data, about 2.4 million foreigners resided in the country as of end-2018.

Named after the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) king who invented the Korean alphabet, “hangeul,” the institutes were first launched in three countries in 2007.

Currently, there are about 180 King Sejong Institutes in 60 countries around the world.

(Yonhap)