Column
Korean Language Education in Singapore
- Focusing on the study of Korean as minor at universities -
The remarkable growth of the Korean economy has not only enhanced Korea's international status but also laid the foundation for the popularity of the Korean Wave, which boosted Korean studies and Korean language education in Southeast Asia. Korean language education in Southeast Asia started at universities in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand in the mid-1980s. It spread to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar in the 1990s, and the 2000s saw its expansion throughout all of Southeast Asia, reaching Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and Brunei. (Cho Hang-rok, 2021)
Trade between Southeast Asian countries and Korea were vigorous around the 2000s, and Korean companies advanced to Southeast Asian countries. This encouraged universities in Southeast Asian countries to designate Korean language studies as a major in order to foster talented people with a good Korean proficiency. Korea's New Southern Policy of 2017 also helped Korean language education at Southeast Asian universities benefit from greater support from the Korean government and institutions. In addition, high schools in eight countries -- Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Cambodia – designated Korean as a second foreign language, which greatly enhanced the perception and status of Korean. Thailand tops ASEAN countries in terms of the local popularity of Korean language education, with about 40,500 students at 133 schools learning Korean. Korean has also been included as a college entrance exam subject since 2016. Now the number of students studying Korean stands at 4,900 at 43 schools in Indonesia, 1,300 at 18 schools in the Philippines, 1,600 at 12 schools in Vietnam, and 1,000 at 10 schools in Malaysia.
Singapore belongs to Southeast Asia geographically, but it has a higher economic level and a relatively smaller population than its neighbors, which makes Korean language education there much different from other Southeast Asian countries.
First, other Southeast Asian countries offer courses for Korean studies and Korean language both as a major and a minor, but no university in Singapore provides Korean studies or Korean language as a major. Korean language education in Singapore is not as active as in other Southeast Asian countries, and Korean language education in the country began in early 2000, mainly by private institutions which rode the wave of hallyu (Korean Wave). Even these days, the number of private institutions specializing in teaching Korean is steadily increasing. In addition, Korean language courses have also been opened at Community Centers in Singapore, thus allowing many Singaporeans easy access to Korean language study. Unfortunately, however, there is no Korean cultural center or King Sejong Institute in Singapore yet.
A Singapore university officially opened a Korean language course as an elective subject in late 2000, but no Singapore university is offering courses for Korean language and Korean studies as a major.
There are six universities in Singapore that receive government subsidies. Among them, three universities have Korean language courses -- National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore Management University (SMU). As mentioned earlier, no universities in Singapore offer courses for Korean language or Korean studies as a major, but NUS opened the Korea Centre at its East Asian Institute in November 2021. The centre is expected to conduct studies on relations between ASEAN countries and both South Korea and North Korea, thus paving the way for opening courses for Korean studies.
The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University opened courses for Korean language as a minor in 2018 and 2020, respectively. This report will take a look at the two universities' Korean language program and the requirements for completing the Korean language course as a minor.
The Centre for Language Studies was established in 2001, and it now teaches 13 foreign languages -- Arabic, Indonesian, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Spanish, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese.
The Korean language course was first opened in 2008, and now it offers all levels from elementary to advanced. More than 500 undergraduates take the Korean language courses each semester, which comprises a total of 52 class hours – two two-hour weekly classes for 13 weeks. All the classes are conducted in flipped learning. Since the Korean language course became a minor in 2018, more than 100 undergraduates have selected Korean as a minor each year by 2022. The requirements for the minor in Korean are as follows.
The University of Singapore calls the course "minor in Korean." Prior to the 2019/2020 school year, students were required to take 24 credits to complete the minor course, but it was lowered to 20 credits starting with the 2020/21 school year freshmen.
The requirements for the minor in Korean may vary a little depending on the school year of undergraduates, but they are required to take 20 credits. Students are allowed various options in taking the minor in Korean course.
The minor in Korean course has nine subjects -- Korean 1 (Elementary 1), Korean 2 (Elementary 2), Korean 3 (Intermediate 1), Korean 4 (Intermediate 2), Korean for academic purposes, Korean 5 (Advanced 1), Korean 6 (Advanced 2), Korean 7 (Advanced 3), and Korean 8 (Advanced 4). No subjects are mandatory or elective, and students regardless of the school year are allowed to take classes according to their Korean language skills.
The requirements for completing the minor in Korean course are as follows.
First, students must earn 16 credits in the Korean language course and another eight credits in subjects authorized by the Korean language program. The three subjects are "Language Philosophy," "Asia and the Modern World: Participatory History," and "East Asian International Relations."
The second case is to earn 20 credits in Korean language subjects and another 4 credits in classes other than the Korean language course.
Finally, students can earn all the 24 credits in the Korean language course. As mentioned earlier, the credits required for completing the minor in Korean course was lowered to 20 from 24.
What's most important for completing the minor in Korean course is to take the Korean 6 (Advanced 2) or higher level.
The requirements for students from the 2021 freshmen can be summarized in the following table.
Trade between Southeast Asian countries and Korea were vigorous around the 2000s, and Korean companies advanced to Southeast Asian countries. This encouraged universities in Southeast Asian countries to designate Korean language studies as a major in order to foster talented people with a good Korean proficiency. Korea's New Southern Policy of 2017 also helped Korean language education at Southeast Asian universities benefit from greater support from the Korean government and institutions. In addition, high schools in eight countries -- Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Cambodia – designated Korean as a second foreign language, which greatly enhanced the perception and status of Korean. Thailand tops ASEAN countries in terms of the local popularity of Korean language education, with about 40,500 students at 133 schools learning Korean. Korean has also been included as a college entrance exam subject since 2016. Now the number of students studying Korean stands at 4,900 at 43 schools in Indonesia, 1,300 at 18 schools in the Philippines, 1,600 at 12 schools in Vietnam, and 1,000 at 10 schools in Malaysia.
Singapore belongs to Southeast Asia geographically, but it has a higher economic level and a relatively smaller population than its neighbors, which makes Korean language education there much different from other Southeast Asian countries.
First, other Southeast Asian countries offer courses for Korean studies and Korean language both as a major and a minor, but no university in Singapore provides Korean studies or Korean language as a major. Korean language education in Singapore is not as active as in other Southeast Asian countries, and Korean language education in the country began in early 2000, mainly by private institutions which rode the wave of hallyu (Korean Wave). Even these days, the number of private institutions specializing in teaching Korean is steadily increasing. In addition, Korean language courses have also been opened at Community Centers in Singapore, thus allowing many Singaporeans easy access to Korean language study. Unfortunately, however, there is no Korean cultural center or King Sejong Institute in Singapore yet.
A Singapore university officially opened a Korean language course as an elective subject in late 2000, but no Singapore university is offering courses for Korean language and Korean studies as a major.
There are six universities in Singapore that receive government subsidies. Among them, three universities have Korean language courses -- National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore Management University (SMU). As mentioned earlier, no universities in Singapore offer courses for Korean language or Korean studies as a major, but NUS opened the Korea Centre at its East Asian Institute in November 2021. The centre is expected to conduct studies on relations between ASEAN countries and both South Korea and North Korea, thus paving the way for opening courses for Korean studies.
1. Korean language course at Singapore Management University
Singapore Management University opened a Korean language course in 2012, with 50 undergraduates taking Korean language classes each semester. The 13-week course comprises two 90-minute classes each week, and only Elementary One level is opened due to the lack of resources at the university.The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University opened courses for Korean language as a minor in 2018 and 2020, respectively. This report will take a look at the two universities' Korean language program and the requirements for completing the Korean language course as a minor.
2. Korean language course at National University of Singapore
Korean language courses at the National University of Singapore are run by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, with the Centre of Language Studies offering Korean language classes.The Centre for Language Studies was established in 2001, and it now teaches 13 foreign languages -- Arabic, Indonesian, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Spanish, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese.
The Korean language course was first opened in 2008, and now it offers all levels from elementary to advanced. More than 500 undergraduates take the Korean language courses each semester, which comprises a total of 52 class hours – two two-hour weekly classes for 13 weeks. All the classes are conducted in flipped learning. Since the Korean language course became a minor in 2018, more than 100 undergraduates have selected Korean as a minor each year by 2022. The requirements for the minor in Korean are as follows.
The University of Singapore calls the course "minor in Korean." Prior to the 2019/2020 school year, students were required to take 24 credits to complete the minor course, but it was lowered to 20 credits starting with the 2020/21 school year freshmen.
The requirements for the minor in Korean may vary a little depending on the school year of undergraduates, but they are required to take 20 credits. Students are allowed various options in taking the minor in Korean course.
The minor in Korean course has nine subjects -- Korean 1 (Elementary 1), Korean 2 (Elementary 2), Korean 3 (Intermediate 1), Korean 4 (Intermediate 2), Korean for academic purposes, Korean 5 (Advanced 1), Korean 6 (Advanced 2), Korean 7 (Advanced 3), and Korean 8 (Advanced 4). No subjects are mandatory or elective, and students regardless of the school year are allowed to take classes according to their Korean language skills.
The requirements for completing the minor in Korean course are as follows.
First, students must earn 16 credits in the Korean language course and another eight credits in subjects authorized by the Korean language program. The three subjects are "Language Philosophy," "Asia and the Modern World: Participatory History," and "East Asian International Relations."
The second case is to earn 20 credits in Korean language subjects and another 4 credits in classes other than the Korean language course.
Finally, students can earn all the 24 credits in the Korean language course. As mentioned earlier, the credits required for completing the minor in Korean course was lowered to 20 from 24.
What's most important for completing the minor in Korean course is to take the Korean 6 (Advanced 2) or higher level.
The requirements for students from the 2021 freshmen can be summarized in the following table.
| Option 1 | Earn 20 credits by taking five Korean language subjects | Must take Korean 6 (Advanced 2) or higher level |
|---|---|---|
| Option 2 | Take four Korean language subjects and a fifth subject authorized by the Korean language program | Must take Korean 6 (Advanced 2) or higher level |
3. Korean language course at Nanyang Technological University
The Korean language course at Nanyang Technological University was opened at the Centre for Modern Languages of the College of Humanities. It offers courses on Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Malay, Russian, Singaporean sign language, Spanish, Tamil, Thai, and Vietnamese. Chinese is taught at the Department of Chinese. Minor courses are opened in seven languages -- French, German, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Spanish, and Thai.Korean 1 and Korean 2 consist of a three-hour class and 12 hours of online classes each week for 12 weeks. Korean language 3 or higher levels have 48 class hours – four hours a week. There are courses from Korean 1 to Korean 6, i.e., from the elementary to advanced levels.
Students taking the minor course must earn 15 credits. There are several options to minor in Korean. First, students can earn 15 credits by taking five Korean language courses. The second is to take four Korean language subjects and a fifth subject in other languages. Third, students can take three Korean language subjects and another two subjects in other languages. Finally, students can take two Korean language subjects and three in other languages. The key requirement for completing the minor course is taking the Korean language 4 or higher level. The requirements can be shown in the following table.
| Option 1 | Earn 15 credits by taking five Korean language subjects | Must take Korean 4 or higher level |
|---|---|---|
| Option 2 | Earn 12 credits by taking four Korean language subjects | Must take Korean 4 or higher level |
| Earn 3 credits by taking a language subject opened at the Centre for Modern Languages | Level of foreign language subject does not matter | |
| Option 3 | Earn 9 credits by taking three Korean language subjects | Must take Korean 4 or higher level |
| Earn 6 credits by taking two language subjects opened at the Centre for Modern Languages | Level of foreign language subject does not matter | |
| Option 4 | Earn 6 credits by taking two Korean language subjects | Must take Korean 4 or higher level |
| Earn 9 credits by taking three language subjects opened at the Centre for Modern Languages | Level of foreign language subject does not matter |
This report took a brief look at Korean language education in Singapore, focusing on universities offering Korean language courses as a minor. Reviewing Korean language minor subjects opened at two universities showed that they focus on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It is supposed that all the subjects include information on Korea and Korean culture, but it would be good for the universities to offer separately subjects that can help students better understand Korean society and Korean culture, such as "Introduction to Korean Society" and "Understanding Korean Pop Culture."
It also is an important task to provide students with opportunities to learn Korean and Korean culture from a diversity of aspects by further dividing Korean subjects into electives such as "Business Korean" and "Media Korean" as electives.
There have been few studies on Korean language education in Singapore because of its short history and lack of teachers. It is necessary to undertake various studies on studying Korean as a minor and students in the field that could help develop more effective teaching and learning methods for Singaporean students.
[References]
- Cho Hang-rok (2021). "The Current Status and Development Plan of Korean Language Education in Southeast Asia - focused on Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam", 17. (1), pp. 211-234.
- Han Jae-young et al. (2020). "A Study on the Status of Overseas Korean Language Education and Ways to Expand the Role of King Sejong Institute by Region" (Focusing on New Southern Policy Countries), King Sejong Institute Project Report
[Internet Resources]
- https://soyouwant2learn.com/korean/
- https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148853887
- http://www.kf.or.kr/koreanstudies/koreaStudiesList.do
- https://www.ksif.or.kr/intro.do
- https://news.nus.edu.sg/nus-east-asian-institute-establishes-korea-centre-in-singapore/
It also is an important task to provide students with opportunities to learn Korean and Korean culture from a diversity of aspects by further dividing Korean subjects into electives such as "Business Korean" and "Media Korean" as electives.
There have been few studies on Korean language education in Singapore because of its short history and lack of teachers. It is necessary to undertake various studies on studying Korean as a minor and students in the field that could help develop more effective teaching and learning methods for Singaporean students.
[References]
- Cho Hang-rok (2021). "The Current Status and Development Plan of Korean Language Education in Southeast Asia - focused on Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam"
- Han Jae-young et al. (2020). "A Study on the Status of Overseas Korean Language Education and Ways to Expand the Role of King Sejong Institute by Region" (Focusing on New Southern Policy Countries), King Sejong Institute Project Report
[Internet Resources]
- https://soyouwant2learn.com/korean/
- https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148853887
- http://www.kf.or.kr/koreanstudies/koreaStudiesList.do
- https://www.ksif.or.kr/intro.do
- https://news.nus.edu.sg/nus-east-asian-institute-establishes-korea-centre-in-singapore/
