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Hangeul Day celebration have been held in Northeast India, which is called "Little Korea of India," since October 2019 with the support of the Academy of Korean Studies. The celebration, held at Manipur University in Imphal, capital of the Manipur State, took place in 2022 for the third time.
It is not well known in Korea, but the states of Nagaland, Mizoram, and Assam, as well as Manipur, are receiving on-air broadcast of South Korea's Arirang Television and KBS World. This helps hallyu gain high popularity there, with the region being called "Little Korea of India."
Korean language education in India began in Korea in the early 1970s as part of foreign language education. The Korean language course was suspended due to economic difficulties. In 1992, Jawaharlal Nehru University started a Korean language certificate program. In 1993, the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Delhi opened a one-year Korean language certificate program. In 1996, six colleges at the University of Delhi started a two-year Korean language certificate course. Now the university teaches Korean at two colleges and the East Asian Studies Master's Program, as a second foreign language in the latter. As of August 2021, undergraduate Korean language courses have opened at four universities, and nine universities have one-year or two-year Korean language certificate courses. In addition, there are six King Sejong Institutes across India, and private academies and such as the Symbiosis Institute of Foreign and Indian Languages, SIFIL (Pune), the Indian Institute of Chinese and Korean Language, IICKL (Delhi), and the Ramakrishna Mission School (Kolkata) teach Korean. More than 36 Indian middle and high schools are also currently teaching Korean in regular classes and extracurricular classes after the Indian Ministry of Education included Korean as a second language in 2019.
In line with the increase in Korean language courses and demand for them, the local demand for Korean in Northeast India has also surged. But Manipur University is the only one that offers Korean language courses in the seven northeastern states. The Korean language certificate course at the university began in 2012 at the Department of Foreign Languages and it offered only elementary courses. In 2018, Korea Foundation sent a Korean language visiting professor to the university, which opened a two-year postgraduate course in January. A one-year Korean language certificate course was opened in January and August 2019, which offered classes to about 130 students. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the university launched a Korean language undergraduate program in 2020 for the third time in India. A five-year program integrating undergraduate and master's courses began in 2021, with more than 80 students enrolled to study Korean.
The South Korean government had not been paying due attention and providing proper support to the Northeast India region. It was against this backdrop that the Hangeul Day celebration drew passionate attention and participation from the people of Manipur State, not least those in Imphal, the state capital.
Usually, Hangeul Day celebration are held for three days. On the first day, the celebration draw guests of honor such as the president of Manipur University, senior officials from the Korean Embassy and the Ministry of Education of the Manipur State Government, university professors and students. Indian university professors are invited to hold seminars on Korean politics, economy, and history, which provide people of Northeast India with an opportunity to broaden their understanding of Korea.
Hangeul Day celebration have been held in Northeast India, which is called "Little Korea of India," since October 2019 with the support of the Academy of Korean Studies. The celebration, held at Manipur University in Imphal, capital of the Manipur State, took place in 2022 for the third time.
It is not well known in Korea, but the states of Nagaland, Mizoram, and Assam, as well as Manipur, are receiving on-air broadcast of South Korea's Arirang Television and KBS World. This helps hallyu gain high popularity there, with the region being called "Little Korea of India."
Korean language education in India began in Korea in the early 1970s as part of foreign language education. The Korean language course was suspended due to economic difficulties. In 1992, Jawaharlal Nehru University started a Korean language certificate program. In 1993, the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Delhi opened a one-year Korean language certificate program. In 1996, six colleges at the University of Delhi started a two-year Korean language certificate course. Now the university teaches Korean at two colleges and the East Asian Studies Master's Program, as a second foreign language in the latter. As of August 2021, undergraduate Korean language courses have opened at four universities, and nine universities have one-year or two-year Korean language certificate courses. In addition, there are six King Sejong Institutes across India, and private academies and such as the Symbiosis Institute of Foreign and Indian Languages, SIFIL (Pune), the Indian Institute of Chinese and Korean Language, IICKL (Delhi), and the Ramakrishna Mission School (Kolkata) teach Korean. More than 36 Indian middle and high schools are also currently teaching Korean in regular classes and extracurricular classes after the Indian Ministry of Education included Korean as a second language in 2019.
In line with the increase in Korean language courses and demand for them, the local demand for Korean in Northeast India has also surged. But Manipur University is the only one that offers Korean language courses in the seven northeastern states. The Korean language certificate course at the university began in 2012 at the Department of Foreign Languages and it offered only elementary courses. In 2018, Korea Foundation sent a Korean language visiting professor to the university, which opened a two-year postgraduate course in January. A one-year Korean language certificate course was opened in January and August 2019, which offered classes to about 130 students. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the university launched a Korean language undergraduate program in 2020 for the third time in India. A five-year program integrating undergraduate and master's courses began in 2021, with more than 80 students enrolled to study Korean.
The South Korean government had not been paying due attention and providing proper support to the Northeast India region. It was against this backdrop that the Hangeul Day celebration drew passionate attention and participation from the people of Manipur State, not least those in Imphal, the state capital.
Usually, Hangeul Day celebration are held for three days. On the first day, the celebration draw guests of honor such as the president of Manipur University, senior officials from the Korean Embassy and the Ministry of Education of the Manipur State Government, university professors and students. Indian university professors are invited to hold seminars on Korean politics, economy, and history, which provide people of Northeast India with an opportunity to broaden their understanding of Korea.
And there comes a Korean food festival, the most popular event among the people of Northeast India. About 850 people participated in the Korean food event during the first Hangeul Day celebration in 2019. At that time, the Korean restaurant where the Korean food event took place was so small that organizers, along with students of Korean language courses, went to the university guesthouse to cut chickens, trimmed carrots and onions, and made chives kimchi and gimbap for three days. It was the first time for the people in Northeast India to experience Korean food which they had only seen in dramas and movies. The Korean food event is still the most popular at the Hangeul Day celebration.
The Korean Speech Contest for students of Korean language courses, King Sejong Institute students, and those who are learning Korean on YouTube is also seeing its standard go up year after year.
In 2019, the Indian Ministry of Education officially designated Korean as a second foreign language at Indian middle and high schools. In Manipur, three schools ran extracurricular classes, and two schools are offering Korean as a regular subject. There is a Korean quiz competition to encourage the Korean language students. The contest is highly popular, with more than 500 people going through two preliminary rounds to go to the finals.
The Korean Speech Contest for students of Korean language courses, King Sejong Institute students, and those who are learning Korean on YouTube is also seeing its standard go up year after year.
In 2019, the Indian Ministry of Education officially designated Korean as a second foreign language at Indian middle and high schools. In Manipur, three schools ran extracurricular classes, and two schools are offering Korean as a regular subject. There is a Korean quiz competition to encourage the Korean language students. The contest is highly popular, with more than 500 people going through two preliminary rounds to go to the finals.
There are also Korean cultural performances, including fan dances, samulnori, and K-POP song and dance performances. They are only Korean cultural events in Northeast India, so many come with their family members and relatives.
Currently, more than 13 major K-Pop groups are active in Northeast India. Each group has more than 500 to 1,000 passionate members, who hold regular meetings and engage in volunteer activities. The K-Pop Contest on the last day draws contestants from not only Manipur but also the seven northeastern states. They go through the first-round video screening, which is followed by competition in singing and dancing (solo & group). Usually judges have difficulty selecting the winners because many of the contestants imitate well idol stars from attires and stage performances.
Currently, more than 13 major K-Pop groups are active in Northeast India. Each group has more than 500 to 1,000 passionate members, who hold regular meetings and engage in volunteer activities. The K-Pop Contest on the last day draws contestants from not only Manipur but also the seven northeastern states. They go through the first-round video screening, which is followed by competition in singing and dancing (solo & group). Usually judges have difficulty selecting the winners because many of the contestants imitate well idol stars from attires and stage performances.
The annual Hangeul Day celebration are covered by major broadcasters and daily newspapers in Manipur. The events are featured in the evening television news and newspapers. This shows that the events are not a festival of Manipur University but the whole state of Manipur which is leading Korean language education in Northeast India.
Korean language education began in India in 1972, but it was not until 47 years later that the Hangeul Day celebration, the first events in Northeast India related to Korean language and Korea, began with the support of the Academy of Korean Studies. It is hoped that the Hangeul Day celebration will make hallyu in Northeast India will not be a one-way phenomenon but one that is made together, and that it will help Korean and Korean studies spread further effectively and broadly.
Korean language education began in India in 1972, but it was not until 47 years later that the Hangeul Day celebration, the first events in Northeast India related to Korean language and Korea, began with the support of the Academy of Korean Studies. It is hoped that the Hangeul Day celebration will make hallyu in Northeast India will not be a one-way phenomenon but one that is made together, and that it will help Korean and Korean studies spread further effectively and broadly.
