Home > National > Social Affairs

Korea adds 11 more King Sejong Institutes to promote Korean language

Published: 30 Jun. 2025, 10:45

Students take Korean classes at a King Sejong Institute in France in September 2024. [KING SEJONG INSTITUTE FOUNDATION]

Korea has designated 11 additional King Sejong Institutes for state support this year as part of its efforts to expand the global reach of Korean language and culture, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Monday.

The new designations bring the total number of King Sejong Institute language learning centers to 252 across 87 countries.

Named after the 15th-century Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) king who invented the Korean alphabet, Hangeul, the new centers are in nine countries — two in Egypt, six in five Asian nations, such as China, Uzbekistan and the Philippines, and one each in Germany, Italy and Hungary.

Egypt, which previously had only one center at the Korean Cultural Center in Cairo, will now have two more — at Ain Shams University in Cairo and Alexandria University. More than 1,280 people are currently on the waiting list to enroll in classes there.

Uzbekistan, which already had seven King Sejong centers, added another due to growing demand for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (Topik). As of last year, more than 12,000 students from Uzbekistan were studying at universities and colleges in South Korea.

A total of 94 institutions in 43 countries applied for the designation this year, the highest number on record, reflecting growing global interest in Korean language education amid the spread of Korean pop culture.

The King Sejong Institute Foundation operates its program by funding locally initiated Korean language education programs throughout the world, such as those run by universities. It receives applications and certifies accepted institutes as King Sejong Institutes.

It began in 2007 with 13 King Sejong Institutes in three countries, starting with Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and supported just 740 students in its first year. Since the foundation's launch in 2012, enrollment has grown rapidly, reaching more than 210,000 students worldwide in 2023.

The government aims to increase the number of centers to 350 by 2030.

Yonhap