Education ministry to expand Korean language classes to 70 countries

Korean language classes will be added to public school curricula in 70 countries by 2030, up from 51 this year, under a new government road map that also charts accelerating artificial intelligence (AI)-driven learning and strengthening regional universities as part of a broader push to position the country as a global education powerhouse. The Ministry of Education presented the vision Wednesday during a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung, framing it around the global expansion of Korean language education and the vision of "education for everyone's future." "Education's fundamental role is to ensure everyone can dream about the future," Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said. "We will implement these initiatives swiftly to help Korea become an irreplaceable global education powerhouse." At the heart of the global strategy is a major expansion of Korean language instruction in overseas schools. Unlike the Sejong Institute, which primarily serves adult learners, the program integrates Korean language education into elementary and secondary schools abroad, embedding Korean into for