Even a 67-year-old French grandmother learns BTS songs...Korean became my hobby.
Kim Han-yi, a teacher at Sejong Institute in Kangper, France, is teaching students.
"It's most rewarding to see students who didn't know anything about Hangul study hard and have simple communication and have dreams through Korean."
Heo Ji-yi (43), a teacher at Sejong Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, recalled the moment when she felt proud as a Korean teacher. He said, "My students send me Kakao Talk in time for the Korean holiday," adding, "Even if the spelling is a little wrong, I feel grateful and precious if I send a long greeting in Korean."
233 teachers of Sejong Institute (as of the first half of this year) connect the world with Korean language and Korean culture. Teachers at Sejong Institute are taking classes in 57 countries around the world to carefully examine the needs of students and help them achieve their dreams.
Drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" and BTS songs are textbooks..."K-Learn it because you like the content".
Heo Ji-yi, a teacher at Sejong Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, is taking a non-face-to-face class.
Regarding the reason why Kenyatta University students take Korean classes, Heo said, "The goals of learning Korean are becoming more diverse," adding, "Some students study Korean dramas and movies because they want to watch them without subtitles." According to a survey of students by Heo, about half of them dream of studying in Korea. About 40% of them started learning Korean because they liked Korean cultural contents such as K-pop.
Kim Han-i (31), a teacher at Sejong Institute in Kangper, France, is teaching at EMBA Business School. Students from the Department of Trade in Korea are the main targets. Students wishing to engage in Korea-related trade will take classes in France from September to February, and exchange students will come to Korea from March.
There are trade departments between Korea, China, and Japan in the school, and in the past, Chinese and Japanese departments were popular, Kim said. "Since seven to eight years ago, the number of students who suddenly want to come to the Korean department has increased." He added, "As there are more opportunities to meet Koreans in France and more Korean international students who can speak French, interest has increased," adding, "The trend of accepting foreign culture in France is changing around Korean culture."
At the Kangper Sejong Institute, there will also be lectures on the general public for residents. 80% of them learn Korean because Korean culture and content are fun. Kim talks about Korea with a 67-year-old grandmother in class. He said, "I am curious about various things from when Hangeul Day was and when King Sejong made Korean to Korean banknotes and prices."
Korean dramas and movies that students often watch have naturally become learning textbooks. Through a K-wave lecture using Hallyu content, you can copy the lines from the drama "Guardian," and learn vocabulary related to the body through BTS's "Blood, Sweat and Tears.
"There are CDs and MP3s in the textbook...""I need education for Generation Z".
Heo Ji-yi, a teacher at Sejong Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, is taking a non-face-to-face class.
Heo Ji-yi, a teacher at Sejong Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, is taking a non-face-to-face class.
Teachers of Sejong Institute agreed that support is needed to meet the needs of local students. It is pointed out that education suitable for the country, religion, and generation is needed from the purpose of learning Korean. Heo said, "Since the purpose of learning Korean is becoming more diverse, we need to carefully examine the needs of local learners and customized curriculum accordingly."
In particular, he stressed the need for education tailored to Korean trends rather than insisting on traditional culture unconditionally. For students interested in K-beauty, they provide cosmetics or cook and eat K-Rose Tteokbokki together. Kim said, "We need support for Generation Z in line with the purpose of spreading Korean culture," adding, "The textbook contains CDs and MP3s that students in the 2000s do not know." I hope it will reflect the situation of the new era, such as new words, as soon as possible, he suggested.
He then pointed out that the number of Korean teachers with expertise should increase further through improved treatment. Mr. Kim said, "There are many people who want to learn Korean, but there are no teachers, so immigrants who do not major in Korean education teach it in a strict way," adding, "The reason why there are not many teachers is because of their low salaries. Another problem is that it is difficult to apply the four major insurances or to work full-time, he pointed out.
As non-face-to-face classes increase due to COVID-19, communication is also becoming difficult. Heo is currently conducting real-time video classes in Korea. In the case of Nairobi, Kenya, there are many difficulties in conducting non-face-to-face classes due to the poor Internet environment, he said. "Some students are absent because of the Internet, so we are thinking about how to compensate for the limitations."
However, even in a rather poor situation, the teachers of Sejong Institute felt a lot of pride and passion for work. Heo said, "When I teach Korean abroad, I feel patriotism that has never existed," adding, "I hope I can spend a meaningful time for a long time communicating more with students through Korean in the future." Mr. Kim expressed his deep affection for Korean language classes and students, saying, "I have no intention of quitting this job," adding, "It's so fun to meet students, and I feel like I'm a vocation."
