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As Asians show a growing appetite for Korean pop music and TV dramas, Korea is beginning to capitalize on another cultural export: its language.
Last month, the South Korean government hosted its eighth round of the Korean language proficiency test, drawing 17,531 participants ― an increase of 44 percent compared to last year and a 650 percent increase since the first test in 1997.
Of all the participants, 90 percent were non-Korean, while the rest were ethnic Koreans living overseas. The numbers of Chinese and Vietnamese grew significantly from the previous test, the government said, but the Japanese made up the largest group of foreign test-takers, with 6,000.
The boom is a byproduct of Korea's cultural exports and economic development, experts say.
"Korea has become a more powerful economy, and its culture has become popular around the world," said Kwon Young-min, professor of Korean language and literature at Seoul National University. "Asia has also become the focus of world attention."
The interest in hangeul is especially pronounced in Korea's former colonial master. In 1995, 170 four-year colleges in Japan offered Korean-language courses, but last year, 355 schools, or 48 percent of all four-year universities in Japan, had added Korean classes.
Kurume University in Fukuoka said 1,340 students are taking Korean language lessons, compared to 695 students enrolled in 2001.
This year, 27 percent of the school's 5,000 students are learning the language. "We had to increase the Korean-language classes to 30 from the initial 10 and hired a full-time lecturer," a school spokesman said.
The Korean wave is also washing through China. In Beijing, the fifth floor of the Korean Culture and Public Information Center, the cultural arm of the South Korean Embassy, is filled at 4 p.m. on weekdays with Chinese students who pack its 200-seat auditorium for Korean class.
Wi Gye-chul, head of the center, said about 700 attended the Korean class in 1994, when it was first offered. This year, about 2,600 are enrolled, Mr. Wi said, and an additional 60,000 are also learning the language through classes held through the Internet. About 30 universities in China are offering a Korean-language major, with up to 800 students in the programs, he said.
He said one big reason for the Chinese people's greater interest in Korean are the TV soap operas, movies and music that come out of Korea, which are currently popular across Asia.
Increased tourism and business exchanges between the two countries also account for the interest in learning Korean. Noma Hideki, professor of Korean linguistics at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, said, "In the past, most Japanese learned the Korean language for historic reasons. But today, many are learning the language out of pure curiosity because more than 10,000 people are traveling between the two countries every day."
In Hanoi, about 100 people graduate from the city's three universities with degrees in Korean language every year. With more Korean companies opening businesses in Vietnam, these graduates' employment rate is almost 100 percent, so students compete with each other to enter the program, Vietnamese education experts said.
The interest in Korean has brought more foreigners to Korea to take classes.
"About 7,000 foreigners are studying Korean at universities around the nation last year," said Park Young-soon, professor of Korea University and the head of the International Korean Language Foundation. "The number most likely has grown this year."
She said the numbers are extremely surprising because just five years ago, very few foreigners came to the country just to study the language.
Korean-language lessons specially tailored for foreigners are offered at 37 universities nationwide as a part of their continuing education programs. At Yonsei University, about 1,000 are learning the language every semester. Another 1,000 are taking similar lessons at Seoul National University.
And foreigners aren't just taking language classes, they're enrolling as full-fledged college students.
At Seoul National University, 60 students are currently enrolled for the school's one-year professional course to become a Korean language teacher for foreigners.
Korea University said only about 20 students were enrolled in the first year of the program, in 1998, but this year, its 40-student quota filled up quickly. "There were far more than 40 applicants, but we have to limit the number because we do not have enough lecturers," said, Yu Jong-bok of Korea University.
Question
Q1. How do you think about this phenomenon? Do you think it will be a good effect to us?
Q2. Have you ever experienced that korean culture affect that much to the others?
(through talking with your foreign friends or somewhere)
Q3.in this situation, do you agree the second language that english?
Q4. How about you? which countries' culture do you like most?
(for example, like japanese culture, animation or western culture etc.)
이 글은「대학연합영어토론동아리」www.pioneerclub.com에서 제공하는 영어토론 정보입니다.
Last month, the South Korean government hosted its eighth round of the Korean language proficiency test, drawing 17,531 participants ― an increase of 44 percent compared to last year and a 650 percent increase since the first test in 1997.
Of all the participants, 90 percent were non-Korean, while the rest were ethnic Koreans living overseas. The numbers of Chinese and Vietnamese grew significantly from the previous test, the government said, but the Japanese made up the largest group of foreign test-takers, with 6,000.
The boom is a byproduct of Korea's cultural exports and economic development, experts say.
"Korea has become a more powerful economy, and its culture has become popular around the world," said Kwon Young-min, professor of Korean language and literature at Seoul National University. "Asia has also become the focus of world attention."
The interest in hangeul is especially pronounced in Korea's former colonial master. In 1995, 170 four-year colleges in Japan offered Korean-language courses, but last year, 355 schools, or 48 percent of all four-year universities in Japan, had added Korean classes.
Kurume University in Fukuoka said 1,340 students are taking Korean language lessons, compared to 695 students enrolled in 2001.
This year, 27 percent of the school's 5,000 students are learning the language. "We had to increase the Korean-language classes to 30 from the initial 10 and hired a full-time lecturer," a school spokesman said.
The Korean wave is also washing through China. In Beijing, the fifth floor of the Korean Culture and Public Information Center, the cultural arm of the South Korean Embassy, is filled at 4 p.m. on weekdays with Chinese students who pack its 200-seat auditorium for Korean class.
Wi Gye-chul, head of the center, said about 700 attended the Korean class in 1994, when it was first offered. This year, about 2,600 are enrolled, Mr. Wi said, and an additional 60,000 are also learning the language through classes held through the Internet. About 30 universities in China are offering a Korean-language major, with up to 800 students in the programs, he said.
He said one big reason for the Chinese people's greater interest in Korean are the TV soap operas, movies and music that come out of Korea, which are currently popular across Asia.
Increased tourism and business exchanges between the two countries also account for the interest in learning Korean. Noma Hideki, professor of Korean linguistics at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, said, "In the past, most Japanese learned the Korean language for historic reasons. But today, many are learning the language out of pure curiosity because more than 10,000 people are traveling between the two countries every day."
In Hanoi, about 100 people graduate from the city's three universities with degrees in Korean language every year. With more Korean companies opening businesses in Vietnam, these graduates' employment rate is almost 100 percent, so students compete with each other to enter the program, Vietnamese education experts said.
The interest in Korean has brought more foreigners to Korea to take classes.
"About 7,000 foreigners are studying Korean at universities around the nation last year," said Park Young-soon, professor of Korea University and the head of the International Korean Language Foundation. "The number most likely has grown this year."
She said the numbers are extremely surprising because just five years ago, very few foreigners came to the country just to study the language.
Korean-language lessons specially tailored for foreigners are offered at 37 universities nationwide as a part of their continuing education programs. At Yonsei University, about 1,000 are learning the language every semester. Another 1,000 are taking similar lessons at Seoul National University.
And foreigners aren't just taking language classes, they're enrolling as full-fledged college students.
At Seoul National University, 60 students are currently enrolled for the school's one-year professional course to become a Korean language teacher for foreigners.
Korea University said only about 20 students were enrolled in the first year of the program, in 1998, but this year, its 40-student quota filled up quickly. "There were far more than 40 applicants, but we have to limit the number because we do not have enough lecturers," said, Yu Jong-bok of Korea University.
Question
Q1. How do you think about this phenomenon? Do you think it will be a good effect to us?
Q2. Have you ever experienced that korean culture affect that much to the others?
(through talking with your foreign friends or somewhere)
Q3.in this situation, do you agree the second language that english?
Q4. How about you? which countries' culture do you like most?
(for example, like japanese culture, animation or western culture etc.)
이 글은「대학연합영어토론동아리」www.pioneerclub.com에서 제공하는 영어토론 정보입니다.
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