The Korean Language Flagship Center of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures recently won a prestigious pilot grant from the King Sejong Institute Foundation, an entity of the Korean government, to promote the Korean language through teaching outside the university. The grant effectively establishes the King Sejong Institute Honolulu, which will be one of only six such institutes in the U.S.
Support by the Korean government reaffirms that the Korean Language Flagship Center is respected among higher learning institutions throughout the country. The King Sejong Institute Honolulu will further enhance the flagship’s reputation, and will recognize the importance and influence of this global language.
Initial funding will allow the Korean Language Flagship Center to train adults and high school students in elementary and intermediate levels of Korean language and culture. Noncredit classes will be taught throughout the year on the UH Mānoa campus for three hours per week. Lesson topics will range from Korean food to K-dramas.
Adult offerings are part of the Korean Language Flagship Center’s community outreach efforts, while high school courses will help the center attract students to its premier and highly effective curriculum. Successful program implementation by faculty will garner renewed and additional grants from the King Sejong Institute Foundation.
