KU Korean Language Center hosts Korean language teacher training program

The center provides chances for future Korean language teachers to have authentic classroom experiences in Korea.

From September 5th to 8th, the Korean Language Center at the Institute of Foreign Language Studies, Korea University hosted the 11th Korean Language Teacher Training Program, also known as the Korean Language practicum course, run by the King Sejong Institute Foundation, chaired by Hyang-geun Song.

A total of 44 instructors and operating members of the King Sejong Institute, including 26 non-native Korean teachers from 16 different countries such as New Zealand, Russia, Vietnam, Columbia, Hungary, and the United States, participated in the program.

Beginning in 2015, the center took charge of operating the practicum course based on over 20 years of experience in running the training program. The course provides chances for the participants to visit authentic Korean language classrooms, give teaching demonstrations, and have discussions in order to improve their professional competence as Korean language instructors.

Hikyoung Lee, Director of the KU Institute of Foreign Language Studies, expressed her appreciation for the program by saying, “It will not only strengthen competence as professional Korean language instructors, but will also offer a chance for foreign instructors from various continents such as Asia, America, and Europe to share their knowledge and experiences gained from different academic settings in different countries.”

The King Sejong Institute Foundation is a public organization which sponsors the King Sejong Institute, the representative academic organization providing Korean language and culture programs at 171 branches in 54 countries around the world. Since 2010, the foundation has provided its own training program for the Korean language instructors working for the institute, and plans to expand the spectrum of its sponsorship for the institute as well as the program.