Improve your Korean with these online or offline classes

K-campus

Published: 12 Dec. 2022, 11:26 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 18:13

Improve your Korean with these online or offline classes

Students at the Korea Language Center at Sungkyunkwan University pose for a photo at their graduation ceremony early this year. [SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIVERSITY]

Even though a lot of universities in Korea offer classes in English, knowing how to speak Korean can really help international students, both on and off campus.

It is always useful to know the local language when visiting or residing in a foreign country. Being able to speak Korean can open doors to more opportunities and improve students’ social interactions in the country.

Here are some ways to learn Korean, both in person and online.

In-person learning

King Sejong Institute

The King Sejong Institute (KSI), named after King Sejong the Great (1397-1450), the inventor of the Korean alphabet, was established by the Korean government in 2007 in response to the increasing number of Korean-language learners around the world.

The KSI operates under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. As of 2021, KSI has opened branches in 234 locations across 82 countries, including Vietnam, Tanzania, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Finland and Canada.

Regular classes conducted by KSI are usually held for 15 weeks, with fees varying between countries. KSI in some countries also offers cultural classes, such as Korean cooking class, K-beauty classes and Korean traditional music classes.

Scholarships to study in Korea are also offered by the institutes for current students or alumni.KSI annually holds an offline Korean speech competition and the winners get a free trip to Korea.

University Korean language institutes

According to the Ministry of Education, 133 universities in Korea have their own specialized Korean language institutes, with 35 of them located in the Seoul metropolitan area. Classes conducted by these institutes are usually conducted on a year-round basis and consist of six levels. In some universities, language institutes also offer night classes and summer courses.

Some of the most well-known institutes in Seoul include the Seoul National University Language Education Institute, Yonsei University Korean Language Institute, Korea University Korean Language and Cultural Center, Ewha Womans University Institute of Language Education and Sogang University Korean Language Education Center.

Fees for the institutes tend to be around 1.7 million won ($1,275) per season.

Private language academies

Korean language courses are also offered at private language academies. Classes conducted by private academies are generally more flexible compared to classes at college-affiliated institutes. Students who have a tight schedule in school but still want to take intensive Korean language courses usually opt for courses offered by a private language academy as it gives them the freedom to set their class schedule.

Students can also enroll with a group of friends and have their own classes. Some academies also have visiting classes where the tutor comes and teaches at the student’s own place.

This flexibility comes with a cost. Regular classes at a private language academy in Seoul usually start at 480,000 won per month for 40 hours of classes. Private classes start at 48,000 won per hour, and visiting class starts at 58,000 won per hour.

City government programs

The Seoul Metropolitan Government organizes free Korean language classes through the Seoul Global Center. The classes include the general course, TOPIK course and special course.

The general course consists of eight proficiency levels. The TOPIK course aims to prepare students for TOPIK, the Korean language proficiency test, and is divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. The special course provides advanced classes to cater to specific needs such as speaking and writing.

Similar free classes are also available at global centers in other cities such as Busan.

Classes offered by volunteer groups

In Seoul, there are at least two volunteer groups that offer very low-cost, almost free Korean language classes. One is organized by the Sookmyung Korean Education Volunteers, which operates under Sookmyung Women’s University, while the other is at the Galwol Community Welfare Center.

Classes organized by Sookmyung Korean Education Volunteers are open to everyone and are taught by students at Sookmyung Women’s University’s Division of Education who aspire to become teachers after they graduate.

Teachers from the Galwol Community Welfare Center are more diverse, coming from different types of occupational backgrounds, and are passionate about helping people in Korea learn the Korean language.

Classes at Sookmyung are held every Saturday afternoon and cost 1,000 won per class and 4,000 won for textbooks. There is also a Cultural Day every three months where students get to cook Korean food, play traditional games and participate in other cultural experience programs.

Galwol Community Welfare Center also organizes regular classes every Saturday afternoon.

Language partner programs

Universities in Korea usually have programs where international students who are interested in learning the Korean language are paired with Korean students who are interested in learning other foreign languages.

Having a language partner who is also a student at the same university gives students the opportunity to practice their Korean language skills on various topics that they are interested in and learn more about Korean culture.

At the beginning of each semester, universities in Korea usually open registration for language partner programs. Students will then be paired according to their mutual interests and hobbies, and be put in a KakaoTalk group chat. Students can then decide when and how often they would like to meet with their partners.

Multicultural centers

The Korean government has multicultural centers set up in different cities in Korea to help foreign residents integrate into Korean society by providing free Korean language lessons. Some of these centers also operate under religious organizations. Programs organized by these centers are open not only to international students, but also to migrant workers and their families.

Online learning

Talk to Me in Korean, a YouTube channel which dedicates itself to Korean language teaching, has gathered more than 1.5 million subscribers. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Website

In-person classes usually provide the best environment to learn a foreign language. However, not everyone has the time, access and resources to do so. For them, online classes could be a good solution.

Online classes can be done in the form of guided learning, where students can enrol in an online course with a fixed schedule, or independent learning, where students can study based on their own schedule without the help of a tutor.

Most classes offered online are also free and easily accessible.

Online learning, however, might be a bit challenging for those who are hoping to improve their speaking skills if they don’t practice what they have learned independently. Students joining in-person courses are usually placed in forced settings to speak Korean with the instructors and classmates during class as much as possible.

Here is a list of free online resources that are helpful for learning Korean.

How to Study Korean: https://www.howtostudykorean.com/ - Available in English
90 Day Korean: https://www.90daykorean.com/learn-korean/ - Available in English
Talk to Me in Korean: https://talktomeinkorean.com/ - Available in English
King Sejong Institute: https://nuri.iksi.or.kr/front/main/main.do - Available in Korean, English, Russian, Vietnamese, Spanish, French and Chinese
EBS Durian: https://www.ebs.co.kr/durian/kr/course - Available in Korean, English, Vietnamese and Chinese

YouTube

YouTube also has channels specialized in teaching Korean. Some channels that are highly reviewed are Talk to Me in Korean and Learn Korean with KoreanClass101.com. These channels are managed by people who are passionate about Korean language teaching.

Not only teaching Korean grammar, classes offered by these channels also cover interesting topics such as ways to deliver a Korean speech, romantic phrases and idioms.

In addition to free videos that they share on their channels, they also offer premium content for paid members. Paid members might be invited to weekly live streaming sessions where they can directly ask questions to the teachers. The channels also provide conversation videos, quizzes and lesson notes for paid members.

App

Mobile apps provide the convenience of studying everywhere anytime. Apps like Memrise, Duolingo, Drops: Learn Korea and LingoDeer use creative methods to help users learn Korean, from flashcards to interactive quizzes. Some apps also send daily notifications on new vocabulary that users can memorize.

BY STUDENT REPORTER ALLAND DHARMAWAN [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]