The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in cooperation with the King Sejong Institute Foundation, is hosting the World Korean Educator Conference 2025 from July 21 (Monday) to July 24 (Thursday) at The Shilla Seoul. Marking its 17th year, the World Korean Educator Conference is a training program designed to strengthen the expertise of Korean language educators by inviting King Sejong Institute instructors from both Korea and overseas, and providing them with the latest teaching methods and resources. This year’s event brings together more than 300 Korean language educators, including 162 teachers from 107 King Sejong Institutes in 49 countries around the world.

At the opening ceremony, First Lady Kim Hea Kyung delivered a video congratulatory message, stating, “The Korean language and culture are resonating with the world more powerfully and profoundly than ever before.” She added, “Thanks to the dedication and hard work of King Sejong Institute teachers, the seeds of the Korean language and culture have spread across the globe, allowing us to envision a brilliant future for Korean culture.” Lee Jung Woo, Deputy Minister, presented the Minister’s Award to the most outstanding King Sejong Institute teacher and expressed deep appreciation for their years of unwavering dedication and sincere service.

At the opening ceremony, an award ceremony was held for the Outstanding Teacher Case Competition, along with presentations of exemplary Korean language education practices. Park In Seon, a teacher at the King Sejong Institute in Budapest, Hungary, received the Grand Prize—the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Award—for her case titled “Korean Language: Beyond the Classroom, Connecting with the World (translated).” She presented a class model that integrated SNS-based writing instruction with a language and cultural exchange program involving Korean international students. Lee Bo Hyun from the Luxembourg Sejong Institute and Lee Seul from the Manama Sejong Institute in Bahrain were awarded Excellence Prizes. Lee Bo Hyun shared a case study on using AI interpretation applications in class, while Lee Seul presented a multilingual and multicultural lesson using Korean films and a phonics-based audiobook activity using Hangul.

Four institutions were honored with Plaques of Recognition as the Outstanding King Sejong Institutes of 2024: the Qingdao 2 King Sejong Institute in China, the Sokuluk King Sejong Institute in Kyrgyzstan, the Bogotá King Sejong Institute in Colombia, and the Tainan King Sejong Institute in Taiwan. In addition, certificates of designation were presented to eleven newly established King Sejong Institutes this year.

July 22–23: Training Program to Strengthen the Professional Competence of Korean Language Teachers

On July 22 and 23, a field-oriented training program will be offered to enhance the professional competence of Korean language instructors. Participants will be engaged in hands-on lectures covering a wide range of topics, including the direction of Korean language education at King Sejong Institutes and the role of teachers, understanding of the Sejong Korean Assessment (SKA) and the adaptive i-SKA (interactive SKA), strategies for using achievement assessments, methods for conducting Korean language classes using educational apps, and teaching Korean culture. During the session, participants will also develop and present teaching plans and share examples of outstanding lesson practices.