KOREAN NET

Attendees at the entrance ceremony of the U.K. Hallyu Academy on Feb. 4 pose for photos in front of Hertford College at the University of Oxford in Oxford, the U.K. (Korean Education Centre in U.K.)

By Gil Kyuyoung

A research team at the University of Oxford of the U.K. is working with universities worldwide to spread Korean-language education.

Major Korean media including Yonhap News on Dec. 19 said the team led by Jieun Kiaer, a professor of Korean linguistics at Oxford's Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, decided to expand the curriculum of such education in cooperation with universities in Korea and elsewhere. This is in response to the rising number of youth worldwide interested in learning Korean thanks to Hallyu (Korean Wave).

From this semester, Oxford University Language Centre offered courses on Korean. Kiaer published the textbook Annyeong? Korean! based on Hallyu to globalize education on the language.

The textbook will be translated into French, German, Japanese and Indonesian.

Yonhap said Oxford's Korean linguistics program recently signed memorandums of understanding on expanding Korean-language education with the International Exchange Center of Pyeongtaek University in Korea and Pancasila University in Indonesia. Under the agreements, Pyeongtaek will use the Oxford textbook in courses on Korean for international students and foreign workers.

Pancasila is preparing to launch a Korean-language department. From next year, select middle and high schools in Jakarta will start offering related courses.

Oxford's Korean-language program will also allow Pancasila to use the former's curriculum and textbooks.

gilkyuyoung@korea.kr