Korean language learning institutes
From Korea
On this page there are links to various Korean learning institutes and in the future reviews of each of these schools. Let's keep the institutes organized by city and alphabetical. Here is a list of Korean Language Programs across Korea. Eventually this list will be integrated into this page.
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[edit] Seoul
Ewha Womens University Korean Language Program Yes, they accept men in the Korean program. The teachers here are very well trained and have produced their own book which is very communicatively focused and well founded in linguistic theory. The classes are divided into the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Furthermore each class recycles and builds on materials covered in the other class resulting in a strong mastery of the skills and language covered. Additionally there is a part-time program that runs three times a week in the evening and also in the early afternoon.
Seoul National University Language Education Institute Classes are five days a week, 4 hours per day. There's also an evening program with 3 hour classes twice a week. Teachers are well trained, the course books are quite good and there is a stimulating learning atmosphere.
[http:// SISA - YBM] Clases are run five times a week for two hours per day. The text is incredibly dry and poorly designed. Additionally there is far too much focus on grammar and little on communicative ability. The teachers are not particularly well trained. A last resort for formal Korean language training.
Sogang University Korean Language Program This is probably the best program in Korea for learning Korean with a real focus on communicative ability. The classes are divided into the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Furthermore each class recycles and builds on materials covered in the other class resulting in a strong mastery of the skills and language covered.
- After having lived in Korea off and on for several years, I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to study Korean. Students on that scholarship are supposed to study at Yonsei, but having tried Yonsei twice (see below), I practically begged to be allowed to attend Sogang instead. I so wish that I had started with Sogang in the beginning because if I had I would be a professionaly competant speaker by this point. The best part of Sogang is that beginning students get so much practice communicating that they gain confidence to use it outside of the classroom. This is obviously crucial for beginning students. Having started at level 2 and taken through level 4 at Sogang, and met students who graduated from both Sogang and Yonsei's programs, I'd recommend attending Sogang until level 4 and then switching to Yonsei for the last 2 levels - especially if you are planning on attending regular Korean university classes afterwards. The high-level Yonsei books, while dry and very much in need of updating, better prepare students in terms of academic, written Korean. Conversely, level 5 and 6 Yonsei students often remarked that my spoken Korean was more fluid than theirs when I was only in Sogang's level 3. It's really about what the teachers emphasize - and of the 10 Sogang teachers I had, 4 were excellent, 3 were very good, 2 were good, and 1 was only ok.
Sookmyung University: Lingua Express No information yet: add your review here
Yonsei Korean Language Institute The oldest program in Korea. Very heavily grammar instruction with a dry boring book.
- I am finishing level 1 at Yonsei KLI. The books are not dry or boring, in my opinion, and are conversation-based.
- Right now, I am taking Intermediate level 1 class at Yonsei in the afternoon. I don't like the way that they teach because nothing ever seems to be emphasized. There is no homework and if there is, it is never graded so its kind of pointless. I want to switch to another program but I am an exchange student which is not possible since I am not here just to entirely learn korean.
- See my addition about Sogang above. I took Yonsei 1.5 ("Special Summer Course" - 5 or 6 weeks) and level 2 in the summers of 2000 and 2002, respectively, and asked for a refund after 3 weeks in both cases. Avoid the Special Summer Course like the plague if you're a serious student - it's full of Korean-Americans who just graduated from high school and are (understandably) enjoying their new-found freedom. That said, soju and kimchi breath is not pleasant anytime, much less when you're trying to study. The person who mentioned a lack of homework probably attended the Special Summer Program.
The Regular Course (10 weeks) is better but the basic problem with Yonsei is pedagogy. You literally sit in a line, with the teacher asking student 1 a question. After student 1 responds, students 2 through 10 are asked the exact same question and are expected to give the same or very similar answer. It is mind-numbing to say the least. The books and teaching methodology are well-suited to the Japanese students who are able to use the grammatical patterns more quickly due to the similarities between Korean and Japanese. As I mentioned above, one of my life's great regrets is that I didn't start at Sogang in 2000 instead. Now that I've taken level 4 at Sogang, though, I'll probably go back to Yonsei for levels 5+6 because I need some of the more complex, written grammar, as well as the more formal vocabulary taught at Yonsei. And again, my friends who graduated from Sogang's program seemed to have a harder time adjusting to regular Korean University classes than students from Yonsei. Problem is, if you start at Yonsei you'll be too frustrated and bored to ever get that far. As for the teachers, I think they are very constrained in terms of teaching methods, so it's hard to judge their individual abilities. Maybe higher level classes are more communicative and interesting, but the lower level classes were some of the worst classes I've ever had.
A cafe on Daum by the name of Worldvill seems to offer Korean lessons through volunteer teachers, in Daehangno close to Hyehwa station. The cost is 5000 per week, which pays for the price of beverages and materials.
[edit] Busan
[edit] Daegu
[edit] Incheon
[edit] Daejon
[edit] Ulsan
Ulsan University Currently not all levels are offered, contact the university for more information.
