Interest in learning the Korean language is growing worldwide.
On June 30, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it has designated 29 new Sejong Institutes across 23 countries in collaboration with the Sejong Institute Foundation. This brings the total number of Sejong Institutes worldwide to 273 in 89 countries, offering courses in Korean language and culture.
In 2025, a record 239,020 students studied Korean at Sejong Institutes globally, marking the highest enrollment to date.
A total of 102 institutions from 45 countries applied for the new Sejong Institute designations, the largest number of applications in the past five years. The Sejong Institute Selection Committee evaluated the applications through document reviews, on-site inspections, and final assessments to select this year's new institutes.
This year, new Sejong Institutes have been established in Greece, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka, countries that previously had no such institutes. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece's largest comprehensive university, will operate a Sejong Institute in partnership with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. In Rwanda, the International Covenant College in Kigali will collaborate with the South Korean Embassy to run a Sejong Institute. In Sri Lanka, the University of Ruhuna in Matara and Dongwon Science and Technology University will jointly operate a Sejong Institute.
Among the newly designated institutes, 19 will be operated in collaboration with 19 domestic educational institutions. Notably, nine universities, including Seoul National University, are participating in the Sejong Institute program for the first time. The involvement of domestic universities in the Sejong Institute initiative is expected to significantly contribute to attracting talented individuals from abroad and enhancing the internationalization capabilities of these universities.
The Sejong Institute Foundation is a public institution established under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote Korean language and culture to foreigners.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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