Korean Language from Tanzania... Silla University and KOICA Trainees Online Presentation Meeting

Training Course for Korean Culture Experts Trainees Hold Real-Time Country Reports via ZOOM

The scene of the KOICA Trainees' Online Country Report Meeting organized by Silla University.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “This is Africa, reporting to Korea.”

From 3 p.m. on September 29, online roll calls and reports were continuously held from 14 countries including Uganda, Paraguay, and Kyrgyzstan.

This reporting session, showcasing the relatively ‘fluent’ Korean language skills of Korean language majors, was part of the KOICA ‘Intermediate Course for Training Korean Language and Culture Experts’ program conducted by Silla University.

The trainees held country-specific reporting sessions through the video conferencing platform ‘Zoom.’

Silla University is operating the KOICA global online training project ‘Korean Language and Culture Expert Course’ for 60 days from September 14 to November 12, targeting 17 Korean language major university students and teachers from 14 countries including Uganda, Paraguay, Kyrgyzstan, and Tanzania.

To enhance the trainees’ Korean language proficiency and understanding of Korean culture, Silla University has provided Korean language classes and online lectures related to Korean culture.

The trainees shared their presentation materials created in PPT in real-time and conducted country-specific reports in Korean. Each country had 10 minutes to introduce their country, the current status of Korean language education, Hallyu, and thoughts on the development of Korean language education, followed by a Q&A session in Korean.

Due to time differences, some reporters sent their clear Korean language skills toward Korea’s afternoon during early morning or nighttime. The well-prepared materials further showcased their fluent Korean.

At this country-specific reporting session, trainees from all 14 countries pointed out the ‘lack of Korean teachers and Korean language materials.’ They shared the view that the popularity of Korea due to Hallyu has rapidly increased the number of foreigners wanting to learn Korean.

Naturally, they expressed the opinion that curricula and more Korean language learning institutions are needed to meet the demand for Korean language education.

To enhance the effectiveness of the training, Silla University selected current students as mentors to support the trainees. The mentor group engaged in social activities through SNS and produced various Korean culture videos to share with the trainees.

Lee Young-ha, a Chinese Language and Chinese Studies major who participated in the mentor group, said, “Through this country-specific report, I was able to see the trainees’ high interest in Korean and the Korean language learning environment in each country. If an environment where Korean can be learned is created along with the provision of Korean language materials and curricula, more foreigners will likely challenge themselves to learn Korean.”

This program, planned by Silla University considering COVID-19, delivered an interesting and beneficial message to both foreigners learning about Korea and those who need to introduce Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.