"Leading the dissemination of the Korean language and culture in the Middle East and Africa," says Oh Joo-won, Director of King Sejong Institute Center Sharjah

The United Arab Emirates' Sharjah, one of the seven emirates, is home to the first regional KSI Center in the Middle East and Africa. Starting in Vietnam in 2017, this institute follows others in Indonesia, the United States, and France, marking the fifth directly managed regional center by the KSIF. We spoke with Director Oh Joo-won of King Sejong Institute Center Sharjah to discuss his future goals.

Hello, Director, First, could you introduce us to 'Sharjah', where the fifth KSI Center is located? Why did you choose the United Arab Emirates among several countries in the Middle East and Africa, and why Sharjah specifically among the seven emirates for opening the KSI?
 

Sharjah is the third-largest emirate in the UAE, after Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and has been designated as the "Cultural Capital of the Arab World" by UNESCO. Sharjah is a region with a significant interest in language and cultural exchange, hosting various integrated cultural facilities like the House of Wisdom.

The KSIF has long recognized the need to establish a KSI Center in the Middle East to meet the demand for Korean language and culture in the Middle East and Africa. Consequently, the United Arab Emirates was considered as the primary candidate location for establishing a major KSI Center, as it was the first to open up in the Middle East and Africa region. Since 2019, the government of Sharjah has recognized the increasing local demand for Korean language and culture and had expressed a desire to establish a formal Korean educational institution. Last year, the foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Sharjah Department of Government Relations to respond to the demand for the Korean language and culture, which led to the establishment of King Sejong Institute Center Sharjah(hereafter referred to as the KSI Center Sharjah).

'2023 KSI Middle East and Africa Regional Workshop' Opening Ceremony and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signing Ceremony with Sharjah Department of Government Relations

What then is the role of the 'KSI Center Sharjah'? Please introduce what this institution does to spread the Korean language and culture in the Middle East and Africa.
 

KSI Center Sharjah, a directly managed institution by the Foundation, serves as the headquarters for the dissemination of the Korean language and culture within the Arab region. It not only operates King Sejong Institutes in the Sharjah area but also focuses on the local training and retraining of Korean language teachers, tailored support for KSI in the Middle East and North Africa and expanding the Korean language through cooperation and collaboration with the Korean missions and related organizations in the host countries, thereby enhancing the quality and brand of Korean language education in the Middle East and Africa.
 

View of Sharjah University Library where classes at KSI Center Sharjah are conducted

How significant is the interest in the Korean language in Sharjah currently? And what might be influencing the popularity of Korean language learning?
 

Despite the absence of schools or private language institutes offering Korean language courses in the Sharjah region, the popularity of the Korean language and culture is quite high. When I mention that I am Korean in everyday interactions, locals naturally greet me with "Hello" in Korean. Once, when I stumbled in the street, a middle-aged woman dressed in traditional black attire naturally asked me if I was okay in Korean. None of these individuals formally studied Korean in courses; they learned Korean through Korean dramas and variety shows. For instance, the Korean drama 'Queen of Tears,' currently popular in Korea, not only entered but has also remained within the top ten of popular content on the OTT platform Netflix in the United Arab Emirates for an extended period. This not only proves the popularity of Korean content but also shows that Korean media is quickly becoming a hot topic in the UAE without a significant time delay compared to Korea.

Additionally, Korean language and culture, including K-pop, are quite popular among the youth. I understand there are both official and informal Korean Wave clubs within universities in the Sharjah area. The most notable club is the Korean Cultural Club at the American University of Sharjah, which has 881 members as of 2023. Although informal, there are also dozens of students and staff at Sharjah National University, where KSI Center Sharjah is located, who have organized a Korean club to engage in Korean language and cultural exchanges.

(Left photo) PRISM, a K-pop cover dance group active in the UAE
(Right photo) Korean ramen displayed at a local grocery store in Sharjah

Sharjah is known for its emphasis on Islamic law within the UAE. Have there been any difficulties in operating the KSI there? If so, what strategies have you considered to overcome these challenges?
 

Sharjah is considered one of the more conservative regions within the UAE, where Islamic law is strictly adhered to. For example, while Dubai shifted its weekend from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday last year, in Sharjah, most government offices and schools still observe their weekend from Friday to Sunday. This makes it challenging for university students and staff, who make up the majority of the members at KSI Center Sharjah, to attend classes on Fridays. On the other hand, this extended weekend could be seen as an opportunity to offer Korean language classes to the general public who are otherwise engaged during the workweek. KSI Center Sharjah plans to operate with utmost respect for the local culture, aiming to expand within the limits of local regulations.
 

How many students do you expect to enroll in the Korean language courses at KSI Center Sharjah this year? Is this considered a large number compared to other KSI in the Middle East and Africa?
 

KSI Center Sharjah began its full-scale class operations in April. Being a newly established institute, it does not yet have as many students as other KSI in the Middle East and Africa. This first half of the year, in May, we plan to operate four beginner-level classes with an expected enrollment of around 50 students. As we move into the second half of the year and start the regular courses, we anticipate up to 200 students will enroll. Although we do not yet have the hundreds of students each year that require selective enrollment like some other institutes in the region, we aim to gradually increase our visibility and scale, targeting an annual increase of more than 5% in student numbers within the UAE.

(Left photo) Plaque of KSI Center Sharjah
(Right photo) Korean language classes at KSI Center Sharjah, ongoing since April this year

Do you have any planned collaborations with the Sharjah government or local institutions this year?
 

The local institution most closely associated with KSI Center Sharjah is the Sharjah Department of Government Relations. We have received crucial support from them for the establishment of the institute. Moving forward, in addition to our foundational and operational collaborations, we plan to co-host various cultural events and participate in fairs and projects to showcase the Korean language and cultural content. KSI Center Sharjah also intends to collaborate with local universities and research institutions to ensure that Korean content is seamlessly introduced in the Arab cultural sphere, involving content review and production. Additionally, we aim to expand our cooperation in various fields beyond the cultural industry, working with relevant institutions and companies to support Korean language education among stakeholders.

Key officials from the Sharjah Department of Government Relations who attended the ceremony of KSI Center Sharjah

Lastly, please share the goals or vision for the future of KSI Center Sharjah.
 

KSI Center Sharjah aims to meet the demand for Korean language and culture in the Middle East and Africa, aligning with our government's policy to expand industries across the Middle East under the 'Second Middle East Boom' initiative. We are committed to enhancing both the quantity and quality of Korean language education in the region.

In the short term, we strive to ensure the stable local establishment and recognition of KSI Center Sharjah. In the long term, we aim to cater to the specific needs of the local population in the Middle East and Africa, including the UAE. The current sentiment towards the Korean language and culture in the Middle East and Africa region is generally positive, but there is still a need for more Korean language educational infrastructure. To address this, KSI Center Sharjah intends to identify new demand for Korean language and culture and make Korean content more accessible and relatable.