Instructor Park Jung-mi, center, explains Korean grammar to intermediate-level students at the King Sejong Institute, the regional hub for Korean language education, Thursday, May 4, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Yonhap
In a milestone for Korea’s quiet but expanding cultural diplomacy in Latin America, the Korean language is set to enter Colombian classrooms as an official subject for the first time this summer.
Beginning in August, three prominent secondary schools in Colombia will integrate Korean language classes into their regular curricula, Korea's Ministry of Education said Monday. The rollout follows an agreement signed on Friday between the Korean Embassy in Bogota and the participating institutions: the Institute for Pedagogical Research and Action — which is affiliated with the National University of Colombia — alongside Colegio Nueva Granada and the Fundación Hogar Nueva Granada.
The initiative makes Colombia the seventh country in Latin America to introduce Korean into its formal primary or secondary school system, joining Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay.
For years, the global surge of interest in Korean culture has driven a demand for language learning in Colombia. But until now, that education was largely confined to King Sejong Institutes, weekend diaspora schools and university courses. These programs primarily catered to adults and the Korean immigrant community, leaving younger local students with few options.
