Latest Korean Language News
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I America

United States

• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States has included Korean in the list of languages supported by the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service for disaster notifications. The service, which provides emergency alerts for 18 types of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, will now support messages in 13 widely used languages in the U.S.

* Supported languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese
 
 

• The Korean Education Center in Los Angeles (LA) has announced the opening of a new Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) testing center at Arizona State University (ASU) in Phoenix, Arizona. This reflects the growing number of TOPIK test takers in the U.S. who are preparing for study in Korea or employment in Korean-related businesses. The first test at this new location is scheduled for April 12, 2025. Arizona currently has two universities offering Korean-related majors and 12 weekend Korean schools with a total of 426 students. With the steady demand for Korean language education in the region, the decision was made to establish a new TOPIK testing center.
 
 

I Europe

Russia

Pskov State University plans to launch a paid Korean language course in February 2025. The course consists of 60 hours and will cover Hangul, basic vocabulary and grammar, Korean history, and culture.
 
 

United Kingdom

On January 2, the Korean Studies faculty at the University of Oxford published a new Korean language textbook titled Annyeong? Korean! based on the Korean Wave (Hallyu). This textbook is currently being used at the Oxford University Language Centre for Korean language learning. Future editions are planned to be translated and published in French, German, Japanese, and Indonesian.
 
 

I Asia

Taiwan

The Tamsui Historical Museum has introduced its first-ever foreign volunteer, a Korean national, to provide historical interpretation services in Korean. In 2024, the museum welcomed over 2.63 million visitors, with Korean tourists accounting for 50% of the total. To better accommodate the increasing number of Korean visitors, the museum recruited its first Korean volunteer, Jung Ji-yoon, and expanded its Korean language services.
 
 

Uzbekistan

New Uzbekistan University held a graduation ceremony for Korean language educators who completed an intensive six-and-a-half-month program. The program was conducted in collaboration with New Uzbekistan University, the Uzbekistan Ministry of Preschool and General Education, and the Korean Education Center. During the ceremony, participants received certificates after successfully studying teaching methodologies, Korean language education, and completing various projects as part of the program.
 
 

Beyond Indonesia

The Internet-Based Test (IBT) format of the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) will be expanded to multiple countries in 2025. Newly added locations include South Korea, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Hong Kong (China), the Philippines, Guam (U.S.), Romania, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Paraguay, and Pakistan. In Indonesia, the first IBT TOPIK exam is scheduled to take place in Bali this year.
 
 

Tajikstan

Tajikistan has opened a Korean language education center for migrant workers, established by the Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment. This initiative follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Employment and Labor of Korea. The first group of Tajik migrant workers is set to be dispatched to Korea in the first quarter of 2025. The new center will offer both Korean language and vocational training opportunities to support these workers.
 
 

I Sources

(United States) FCC Website
(United States) YTN Report
(Russia) https://informpskov.ru/
(United Kingdom) YTN Report
(Taiwan) https://www.chinatimes.com/
(Uzbekistan) YTN Report
(Indonesia) https://indonesian.korea.net/
(Tajikistan) https://khovar.tj/