(Korea's soft power is driving the youth to learn korean, The Times of India - Study Abroad,( Magazine ) Page 95, 96, Korean cultural centre India's Director - Mr. Hwang Il Yong, 2023.3.31.)

‘K’ alphabet has gained a very significant identity in recent past, be it K-Pop, K-Drama, K-Series, K- beauty and what not. K-wave has given a rise in demand of learning Korean language. According to the 2022 annual report of Duolingo (a learning app), Korean language is the 7^th most studied language in the world and one of the top 5 most popular languages to study in India, China, Japan, and Vietnam. Much of this can also be attributed to rise of K-Drama and K-pop during the pandemic making Indians realise the similarities in language and culture the two nations share. Indian government seems to have foreshadowed this growth as Korean was included the National Education Policy in 2020. This adds another feather in the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relation between India and Korea.

Cultural Collaborations

Korean government as a diplomatic mission has 33 Korean culture centres in 32 countries with 42 branches wherein they also manages 234 King Sejong Institutes in 82 countries where people can learn K- language, which has helped in sustained growth and popularity of this language.

The seeds of K-learning in India was planted 10 years back by Korean Cultural Centre India, which now provides language learning platforms to 28 Universities, 24 schools and 6 King Sejong Institutes (KSI) across the nation. It also has partnership with 126 schools PAN India The centre provides regular Korean language classes, Korean hobby classes, Teacher training programme among others. They also hold TOPIK classes which is an internationally recognised Korean proficiency test. Just recently they held a special class as well where Korean was taught with the help of K-pop songs, proverbs and idioms.

In India the passion for learning Korean is so much so that the forms for these classes get filled within minutes. The forms for the current batch of regular Korean language students were filled within 4 minutes. Coming to the footfall, currently in King Sejong Institute Delhi alone there are over 10,000 students. Apart from language programme Korean Cultural Centre India conducts many cultural activities all year-round to accustom people with culture and tradition as well.

Emerging Study Hub

Recently, South Korea has also become an emerging study destination for international students. With at least 40 universities in the latest QS Rankings list, the 10th largest economy in the world is now becoming a go-to place for study abroad aspirants. According to Indian Ministry of external affair there were approximately over 1,364 Indian students studying in Korea in 2022.

For those interested in pursuing Korean there are many scholarship opportunities like GKS (Global Korea Scholarship) which is offered by the Korean government and covers full tuition fees, POSCO TJ Park foundation’s POSCO Asia Fellowship and AKS Fellowship by CEFIA centre for international affairs. Apart from these University specific scholarships are also available.

Learning a new language always opens up new opportunities. Korean being the 15^th most spoken language [According to Ethnologue (2022, 25th edition)] and one of the fastest growing languages is surely beneficial. After learning Korean students can work in various sectors like foreign embassies, Cultural centres, Schools, Universities, Travel and tourism. They can work with Indian government as interpreters and translators as well with a lucrative pay scale.