Uzbek student Khani Choy presents on Monday during a Korean language contest held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (Ministry of Education) Uzbek participants swept the top prizes at an international Korean language contest for Central Asia and Russia, as demand for Korean language education continues to grow across the region, the Education Ministry said Tuesday.The 2026 International Korean Language Contest for Central Asia and Russia was held Monday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.The contest was hosted by the Korean Education Center in Almaty, which serves as a regional hub for Korean language education in Central Asia and Russia.Participants were selected through national preliminary rounds organized by Korean education centers in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. A total of 2,300 people took part in the preliminary rounds, with 15 finalists advancing to the regional competition.Now in its fourth year, the contest has three categories: a Korean language teaching contest for local schoolteachers, a Korean speech contest for middle and high school students, and a Korean speech contest for university students.The teaching contest evaluates local teachers’ lesson plans and teaching demonstrations. The ministry said the category is designed to improve the quality of Korean language classes in the region. Participants at a Korean language contest held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, pose for a photo on Monday. (Ministry of Education) This year, Uzbek participants won first place in all three categories.In the teaching contest, Uzbek teacher Shahlohon Abdurmonova won first place for presenting a Korean grammar lesson with the theme “Kimchi is a little spicy,” using play-based learning methods.Uzbek students Khani Choy and Kumushoy Jumanazarova won first place in the middle and high school speech contest and the university student speech contest, respectively.The ministry said demand for Korean language education has been growing in Central Asia, with Uzbekistan showing the fastest growth.Across Central Asia and Russia, the number of schools offering Korean language classes rose from 185 in 2023 to 280 in 2025, while the number of students increased from 24,905 to 33,108.In Uzbekistan, the number of local elementary and secondary schools offering Korean language classes more than doubled from 64 in 2023 to 150 in 2025. The number of students enrolled in Korean language classes also increased from 13,376 to 22,936 over the same period.Around 50,000 people in Uzbekistan applied for the Test of Proficiency in Korean in 2025, according to the ministry.The ministry attributed the strong interest in Korean in Uzbekistan partly to the Uzbek government’s push to promote second-language learning.“Central Asia is a key hub for overseas Korean language education,” said Lee Nan-young, director general for international education planning at the Education Ministry.“The ministry will actively support outstanding local Korean language teachers and students so they can continue to develop Korean language education in Central Asia and Russia.”