Korean language lesson available online to people worldwide

Foreigners can now learn Korean language online anytime anywhere in the world. Korea Cyber University introduced Quick Korean, a free Korean language training program, at the international conference hall at the Korea Federation of Banks building in Seoul on Wednesday, and started service in earnest.

Anyone can take online lessons at Quick Korean website (korean.cuk.edu) or YouTube channel. The lessons can be played via various gadgets including the tablet PC or mobile phone, and translated subtitles are provided not only in Korean but also English and Chinese. A textbook with Korean and English texts have also been developed together with the online program.

The program has been created at the suggestion of Kim Joong-soon, 75, president of Korea Cyber University. Kim held a ceremony to commemorate the publishing of the Vietnamese version of his English book “Kimchi and IT” in Hanoi, Vietnam last year. At the time, he was told by a professor of Korean language at Hanoi National University that “Samsung Electronics hired about 100,000 people after constructing a mobile phone plant nearby. Its employees want to learn Korean.” Upon hearing that there is no place to teach 100,000 people Korean language and it is difficult for workers to come to school to take lesson, Kim thought to himself that it would be nice to teach Korean online.

Korea Cyber University already has experience in giving lessons online. Since April 2007, the school has offered free Korean language lessons to foreign wives by operating a “multi-culture campaign.” As many as 110,693 people signed up for the multi-culture campaign website as of end-November, and those people in 705 cities in 71 countries worldwide are learning Korean through this campaign.

Saying “Korean language education is a global issue, rather than an issue just for a certain company or Vietnam,” Kim invited scholars to join the initiative. Six experts, including Nam Ki-shim, a retired veteran scholar of Korean linguistics and emeritus professor of Seoul National University (chair professor at Korea Cyber University) participated in production of contents.

“There are many plants of Samsung, Hyundai and Kia not only in Vietnam but also in China and the U.S., and their employees also wish to learn Korean,” Kim said. “We plan to develop programs designed to teach the employers who are producing mobile phones and cars Korean language skills that they need in their jobs.”

Quick Korean is expected to give significant benefit not only to foreigners but also to ethnic Koreans overseas. With few professionals who teach Korean with licenses as Korean language teachers in places with large ethnic Korean communities overseas, there are few amenable classes or texts available.

“In the future we will provide language education to children of foreign wives to enable them to fluently speak languages of their mothers’ motherlands,” Kim said. “We also plan to nurture many eligible teachers who are qualified to properly teach Korean language to people worldwide.”