Korean class at Yeonnam Global Village Center

“안녕하세요.” (Hello) “잘 지내셨어요?” (How are you?)
The class begins by talking about the daily life of students and a teacher. About 20 students are sitting freely and speaking as much Korean as they can. The teacher helps them speak Korean while correcting some mistakes.

This is one of the Korean language courses offered at the Yeonnam Global Village Center. The Seoul Global Center encourages foreigners to learn the Korean language and offers courses both at the global center, and at all village centers. This not only helps foreigners learn the Korean language, but also provides valuable information on life in Korea.

The Yeonnam Global Village Center offers Korean courses every day. Roughly 70 percent of students in this class are from China; the rest of them are from Vietnam, Indonesia and the United States.

Doo Yena, 25, from China, says she is satisfied with the Korean courses. She takes the beginner course, and says that the classes are really fun. “I came to Korea because I really like Korea, but I do not have much time to speak Korean or chat with Korean people, because I do not have Korean friends. I improved my Korean skills thanks to this class. My Korean language teacher is very kind to the students, and I have a chance to speak Korean as much as I can in this class.”

So Jung Kwon, an officer at the Yeonnam Global Center, says that the number of foreign students taking Korean courses has been increasing: “Many students come here to take classes by their friends’ recommendation. Now, over 200 foreigners take Korean courses at the center.”

There is no limit on age as to who can take the classes; students range from middle schoolers to house wives and workers. Sung Sook Park, the Korean language teacher for the beginning course, says that she tries to make students speak Korean in her class, but also informs them about Korean culture. “Most courses focus on improving speaking skills. There are various students and their levels are all different, so I want students to know about Korean culture too, not just language. They study very hard to learn the Korean language, so I feel good when I see them.”

The Global Village centers are smaller than the Seoul Global center, but the visitors and officers get along with each other like friends. Many foreigners spend their free time in the center chatting with the people who work there.

The Yeonnam Korean language course consists of three months per term, the first term is from January to March, the second is from April to June, the third is from July to September, and the last term is from October to December. The level classes are diverse, so the student can choose the class appropriate for them. The tuition is free, but students should buy a textbook before beginning of the class.

Those who are interested in learning Korean language at Yeonnam, or any of the other Global Village Centers, should contact the center personally with a passport photo, and ID card.

Korean classes are offered at every Global Village Center and the Seoul Global Center, but start dates and time schedules vary.

For other information on schedules, contact the Seoul Global Center at 1688-0120, or visit our website at http://global.seoul.go.kr

Lee, Mi Hyang

This article can also be found on the Korea Herald website http://koreaherald.com/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/10/28/200910280061.asp

Tags: Daily living logistics, Expat communities / groups, Global Village Centers, SGC Classes, SGC Services
Posted in Community, Living in Seoul, Seoul Global Center