최종수정일 / 2008년 04월 21일

The Korea Language Consultation Center(KLCC) has been researching ways to develop an efficient system to teach the Korean language, methods that can be used by all current teachers of Korean and teaching applicants.  
It is at present running a training course for instructors who teach the language to foreigners.  

     The objective of the training course, which is taught by Korean language education specialists, is to provide a solid
grounding in Korean education theory, pedagogy, and culture.

     "With a study of language fundamentals as the basis, courses in Korean grammar and culture, general and specialized
pedagogy, all totaling about 120 hours, have to be completed," said Im Ji-ah, a special researcher in the KLCC.

     Upon completion, the Korean teaching training certificate is issued, and the candidate is qualified to take the third class
examination for Korean teacher's license, which is administered by the National Language Authority, a department of the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

     Professor Choi Nak-bok (Dept. of Korean Literature), the Director of the KLCC, said that the government will dispatch
trained teachers to various foreign schools that offer courses in the Korean language in such countries as America,
Russia, China, Japan, and others.  

     "With more foreign women coming into Korea as wives of Korean husbands, the number of multicultural families has been steadily increasing.  So the government will employ Korean language teachers for the sake of these families, second
generation," he added.

By Kim Do-hyung
blueguy@donga.ac.kr