Interest in learning so-called “strategic foreign languages” is surging in South Korea, with tens of thousands of people — particularly those in their 20s and 30s — flocking to free online courses in languages such as Ukrainian, Portuguese, Persian, and Turkish. Many say they are motivated by curiosity, a desire to explore new cultures, or dreams of living and working abroad.
New languages, new worlds
Office worker Oh Min-kyung, 26, took a Ukrainian course offered by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) in April and May. “I wanted to speak a few words in my friends’ native language when talking to my Ukrainian friends abroad,” she said. “They loved it when I mixed in a few phrases. It was so much fun that I now want to take advanced classes and learn Turkish too. I’m planning to visit Türkiye again, and this time I want to communicate in the local language.”
Koo Ja-geon, 39, who works for a public agency, has made language learning a long-term hobby. Since 2020, he has studied Portuguese, Swahili, Persian, Hungarian, and Dutch through NIIED programs. “I usually choose languages from countries I’ve become interested in through world literature,” he said. “Learning new languages is incredibly enjoyable. These are not languages you get many chances to study, so I’m grateful that such high-quality lectures are offered for free.”
‘Strategic foreign languages’ see explosive growth
The Ministry of Education’s NIIED launched its “Learn a Strategic Foreign Language” program in 2020 to help South Koreans develop multilingual skills in a globalized world. The term “strategic foreign language,” as defined by law, refers to one of 53 languages deemed important for the nation’s development, ranging from 12 in the Middle East and Africa (including Arabic) to 18 European languages (such as Italian, Greek), 14 from South and Southeast Asia (including Vietnamese and Hindi), seven from Eurasia (including Turkish, Kazakh and Uzbek), and two from Latin America (Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese).
NIIED, in partnership with universities including Dankook, Busan University of Foreign Studies, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, offers online courses twice a year. In the second half of this year, 132 courses are available across 25 languages.
Enrollment has skyrocketed — from just 627 learners in 2020 to 6,309 this year, a tenfold increase. On the first day of registration for the current semester on Sept. 1, a record 16,372 people tried to access the website, causing it to crash. “We expected similar traffic to the first semester, when 6,856 people accessed the site on the first day, but nearly three times that number showed up,” an NIIED official said. “We slightly increased capacity and reopened registration from Sept. 8 to 11.”
Young people are driving the boom: of 2,202 applicants for the current semester’s general courses, 1,775 — or 80.6 percent — are in their 20s or 30s.
From curiosity to migration plans
Learners’ motivations range from simple interest to life-changing aspirations. Lee Hee-ryeong, 31, who took a Persian course, said, “Learning a new language means also learning the culture and way of thinking of that country. That’s the biggest joy. I had never been exposed to Persian before, but I was drawn to it.”
Others see language learning as a step toward a new life abroad. Ha Hyun-joo, a 23-year-old university student with a disability, said she enrolled in a Swedish class after being deeply impressed by the country’s welfare system during a visit. “I want to live there, so I’m learning the language,” she said.
Kim Se-won, who took Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese classes earlier this year, hopes to move to Portugal. “I loved the laid-back, tolerant culture when I visited for work,” Kim said. “Many of my friends are studying foreign languages while dreaming of becoming digital nomads — working remotely from anywhere in the world.”
Satisfaction remains high
Because the courses are taught by university professors and professional instructors, satisfaction levels are consistently high — between 93 and 95 points out of 100 over the past five years. “We face limitations due to staffing and budget constraints,” an NIIED official said. “But we are committed to expanding opportunities for people to learn strategic foreign languages.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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