1st Scholarship student in Perth

I am Natalia Siauw, the recipient of 2012 KLCEC Scholarship Program. I’d been interested and wanting to learn Korean and so one day I googled Korean class in Perth and found KLCEC website. From there I emailed Ebony to enrol and managed to get into Module 1 in May 2011. It was the first class she started in Perth and I was really glad that I could become one of her students. Her way of teaching was really fun and motivated me to keep learning Korean with her. And when I finished Module 4, she offered me the scholarship of 50% of the regular (200 hours) course at Sogang University for 3 months. With the help from Ebony, I decided to take the opportunity to explore more about Korea and to practice my Korean of course. After getting accepted into the language program, and before it started, there was a placement test consisted of interview and writing test to determine which level you should be in. However, when I went to Sogang to do the test, they only required me to do the interview. During the interview I told the teacher I learned Korean with Ebony for about 60 hours (Module 1 to Module 4) and she was really surprised because their language program is 200 hours for one level and with just 60 hours I’ve managed to learn one level. But what she didn’t know was that KLCEC Module 1 to Module 4 is almost equivalent to Sogang Language Program Level 2. I was put into Level 2 and when the class started I realised that I had actually learned most of the grammars from KLCEC. I was going to try to move to Level 3 but as Ebony said, because of the lack of interaction with the native speakers in Perth no matter how hard we try to learn and speak, our speaking would still be lacking. So I went with Level 2 just to improve my speaking and I am very happy with the results! Although KLCEC’s two-hour-every-week class might be short, it was really useful especially if you do the homework that Ebony gives. They might be a lot but they really helped! So, what did I do in Seoul for 3 months? Heaps! The class was Monday to Friday from 9 am to 1 pm, but I still had plenty of time to play and travel around! The teachers were really nice and helpful. I made friends with other foreigners in class and together we learned Korean. The size of the class wasn’t too big and so the atmosphere was great and fun! If you are really interested in interacting with the native speakers, there’s always language exchange section in Sogang website that you could use to meet Koreans. If you like Korean food, you would love living there! Being able to taste the real Korean food and all those street food was awesome!! And if you are lucky, you could meet celebrities too! I came back to Perth with a wonderful experience and improved Korean. I am really glad that I took this opportunity and can’t thank Ebony enough for giving such an opportunity. I hope this will inspire other students to keep learning Korean.

About Korea

The first report to Education Dept. from W.A. Korean School

Korean Language at KLWA 2010 till early 2011.

By Ebony BAE H.K.(Ms.)

1.    Overview of KSWA

1.1.        Six Classes at KSWA –

2 Alphabet classes, 2 Korean Introductory classes,        

Korean class 3 and Korean class 4

1.2.        Cultural lessons

1.3.        Teaching manpower

1.4.        Textbook

1.5.        Assessments

1.6.        School time Allocation

2.    Case study - Korean Class 4: Evaluation from Jun. 2010 till Feb. 2011.

3.    Conclusion

1.    Overview of KSWA:

The number of Korean immigrants in WA has increased steadily since the early 1990s. The Hangeul School is available on Saturdays to teach their children Korean but many of these Korean immigrants do not seem too keen to take advantage of this facility to give their children a proficiency in the Korean language in Perth compare to Eastern states or South East Asia.

On the positive side, the Australian government has been giving some supportive of this school.  There is currently a lack of teachers and undercharging students does not help the community to recruit good teachers. The school's first priority is teach Korean for second generation and the curriculum is for the young children in Perth.

1.1. Six Classes at KSWA

There are currently six classes operating at KSWA.

3 Korean Alphabet Classes are available for the 5 to 7 year olds.  They are mainly 2^nd or 3^rd generation Koreans.  Given the cosmopolitan nature of Australia, many of them have only 1 parent who may be Korean.  Classes are made up of both Korean and non-Korean children.   Ideally these 2 groups should be streamed into separate classes.

The Korean Introductory class where Korean 1 textbook is used teaches the students grammar, sentence structure, speaking and writing. The major problem in this class is the disparate learning levels of the individual students.

Korean Class 3 uses textbook Korean 2 and 3 in 2011 and there are two teachers to help  with the two to three different groups of students in the class. Korean Class 4 uses textbook Korean 4, 5 and 6 as well as extracurricular.

Before 2011, Korean alphabet classes did not follow a fixed curriculum.  In January 2011 it was decided at a teachers’ meeting to standardise the curriculum from February 2011 onwards and guidelines were introduced.

Class Name	Age group	Textbook
Korean Alphabet (Sun)	5~7 or more	Words from Introductory
Korean Alphabet (Moon)	5~7 or more	Words from Introductory
Introductory to Korean 1	6~8 or more	Words from Introductory
Introductory to Korean 2	9 ~ more	Korean 1
Korean 3	9 ~ more including 3 locals	Korean 2 & 3
Korean 4	10~16 years old	Korean 4,5 & 6

1.2. Cultural Lessons

Culture is an integral part of any language development and learning. Thease cultural classes cover topics like the meaning of the Korean flags, festivals, seasons and traditional food.   Concerts also provide an avenue for students to apply them knowledge of the language and use it appropriately in the right social contexts.

1.3. Teaching Manpower

There are six main teachers and a few assistant teachers. Most of the teachers are volunteers.  Honorarium levels are generally poor.  This affects the recruitment of qualified teachers who will be able or willing to prepare quality teaching materials for the classes they hold.

1.4. Textbook

Textbooks are given by KICE[i] [1](Korean Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation) Textbooks come with teaching guidelines. The teachers have agreed to follow the textbook from February 2011 onwards.

1.5. Assessments

There are two tests in semester 1 and 2. Progress reports are given to parents twice yearly commencing in 2011.

1.6. School Time Allocations

KSWA opens at 9:30 A.M. and have a break between 11 A.M. till 11: 30 A.M. then it finishes at 12:30 P.M.

2.    Case Study- Class 4: Evaluation from Jun. 2010 till Feb. 2011.

Class 4 was allocated to me (Ms. BAE) in June 2010. From the outset I experienced difficulty with the students’ fluency and accuracy with Korean.  There were many gaps in their understanding and usage of grammar sentence structure, spacing and punctuation. This is exacerbated by their poor motivation and interest in the language.

They were mature enough to understand flow and writing but vocabulary was poor. Despite the good teaching of the previous teacher, Mrs. Lee, the students were still struggling to answer questions in the pre test for TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean).

I therefore devised a different teaching plan and implemented it in the 4^th term. Lessons from textbooks were done first for two and half hours followed by an extra curriculum on basic rules of writing.

More than half of class showed the improvement and two students worked particularly hard and passed intermediate level of TOPIK.  It was rewarding to see that a few of them could now listen and understand Korean better especially when enjoying Korean TV dramas compared to last year.

Textbooks are the minimum tools for these 2^nd generation Korean migrants to equip themselves with adequate Korean. There are 3 types of vocabularies from Korean; Pure Korean, Western Korean and Chinese Korean. Even though Koreans can make sentences with pure Korean vocabularies, a higher level of Korean requires using Chinese Korean vocabularies (Hanja[2]) such as in academic institutions, business and news.   In the current system, it is barely possible to prepare students adequately for the basic proficiency test (TOPIK) which is offered to the students (2^nd generation Koreans) and locals (foreigners) every 2^nd week in September in Perth.

On the first day of school in 2011, assessment tests were conducted in all the classes.  My group of students did not understand irregular verbs, counting nouns, onomatopoeic words and honorific although they should.

Although students know that speaking a second language is an advantage; they may not be highly motivated as the parents may be not involving in homework or encouraging the use of Korean at home. As students get older, standards and requirements also rise.   At this point many students with a low interest level will stagnate.  I was encouraged by my one hard working student who passed the proficiency test at intermediate level last year and meeting new students who take their lessons seriously. My extra preparation of were useful and rewarding particularly for those who took the lessons willingly and showed respect for the teacher.

3.0       Conclusion

In conclusion, the support we get from the Australian and Korean governments are a great start for the Korean language course after all not many governments have a budget for such activities.

It would be appreciated if the government could do even more by promoting use of the language as well as provide the funds.  Meanwhile, are Koreans putting enough effort to teach their children just leaving the dilemma to someone else at the school? What about the students? Do they respect their teachers and complete their homework?  Are they taking it lightly because language is not part of the university main entrance test as Japanese, Chinese and other European languages? Do we have experienced teachers?

There is a great deal of hope for Korean language education in Perth. In fact if more of next generation speak 2^nd or 3^rd languages, it is a great asset to the country for the next 100 years because education is an investment in the people that will benefit the country and this requires planning for the next decade.  Language is a tool and a bridge to another culture.

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[1] http://www.kice.re.kr/en/introduction/about.jsp

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja

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This report was given to Education Dept. in Perth in April 2011 and it was the first official report ever written.  Now, Korean school of W.A. is no longer using KICE textbooks and take the easier version of textbook for the children from The Education Foundation of Koreans Foundation.

LP Korean grammar guide

Park's Guide

Opening Korean Language in Singapore-Historical Moments

29 October 2008

Introduction to KLP in NUS Extension & NUS opened Korean in 2008.

Introduction to Korean Language Programme (KLP) in NUS Extension

NUS Extension was opened in 1960 as the Extramural Studies Department of the National University of Singapore. Now, NUS Extension has 3 major centers of learning, namely, Center for Enterprise Leadership, Center for Professional and Management Development, and Center for Lifelong Learning.
The Center for Enterprise Leadership offers selected courses and programs for top and senior management. The subjects include Leadership and Influence, Business Ethics, Strategic Management and China Business. The Center for Professional and Management Development offers a range of courses and programs for professionals and business executives. And the Center for Lifelong Learning offers Korean language courses, amongst many other courses, and in which NUS lecturers and non-NUS lecturers hold classes. NUS Extension has over 300 various types of long-term and short-term courses and the diploma courses in its 3 centers, so it is operated quite differently from most private institutes that are commonly known in Korea.

In October 2003, a proposal and plan were put up. After the initial internal inquiry, unlike the English and Chinese language courses which have faculties in NUS itself, the decision to open a Korean language course at NUS Extension itself was made in October 2003. And since its beginnings in early 2004, the Korean language course is one of the fastest growing courses in NUS Extension. (Initiated in Oct 2003, 480 in 2004, 580 in 2005, 1,000 in 2006, 1,500 in 2007)

Firstly, teaching method will be based on the Korean university textbook used by the Korean universities, and surveys will be conducted every year to understand students’ requirements. From the 2nd semester, overseas studies opportunities will be sourced out through universities in Korea and the Ministry of Education. These overseas short-term or long-term stints will help improve students’ ability and also upgrade the standard of the programme. Overseas studies scholarships can be provided to stress the importance of and give opportunities to immerse in the Korean culture, students will then be motivated to further their studies. In the following year, the school should aim to be the local KLPT (Korean Language Proficiency Test) test center. This will encourage students to pursue their Korea studies, and not only learn it as a hobby.

Secondly, access to Korean will promote greater understanding of the language. The Korean Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Ryu Kwang-sok, made a donation of approx 500 books(worth of US$7,000) to NUS Extension and two Korean university text books are currently available at NUS Central Library. It is important to have these books for research purposes and to understand the culture better, nonetheless, it is difficult to acquire Korean books and proper textbooks in Singapore, so it will great resource for the learners to search right information.

Thirdly, the department will hold Korean culture classes. TV dramas can be used to help improve listening and understanding skills; books and other visual aids can be incorporated in special classes for students to understand deep-rooted traditional Korean culture, apart from what is commonly known form popular culture. Those cultural pictures are donated specially and NUS Extension uses for Korean Cultural course.

The first Singaporean teacher to teach in NUS Extension is presently taking a master’s degree course in Korean language after receiving a scholarship from Korea Foundation.

If you ask me why? Then I might say....... "I consider myself as a teacher first and I have a passion for teaching. I think teaching is not just a process of transferring knowledge but inspiring student to develop the love for learning. I feel a strong need to open Korean program in Singapore. Surely I know it will create a variety of opportunities in many ways. I began teaching Korean at NEX (NUS Extension) only because of my passion for teaching at first. As the program begin to gain popularity, I began to see the possibility of opening Korean Language in universities. I don’t really know what drives me to do this, but I guess that it is because of my love for Korea and pride in Korean language as a Korean citizen and teacher. The language of a country represents the country itself and its culture, and is a powerful tool for communication and understanding each other. I hope this will open a gateway for academic research complementing and contributing to both countries’ social diversity and economic development".

NUS to launch Korean as a foreign language department in August 2008.
National University of Singapore has decided to launch a Korean language in August 08. NUS has many corresponding conditions to help meet Korea Foundation’s goal to globalize the Korean language, and thus KF (Korean Foundation) will provide full support as per below response.
KF said“The Foundation's screening committee recognized the significance of your university's initiative to launch a Korean language program in response to the increasing demand for Korean language learning evidenced by the NUS Extension, and in order to equip NUS students with Korean language proficiency for opportunities to participate in exchange programs between NUS and several Korean universities as part of global education.”
As a reference, many universities are interested in opening a Korean language department. But in spite of its strict examination, KF’s prompt response signals the strong will of the Korean government to introduce the Korean language to world-renowned universities.

Launching a Korean language programme at the world-renowned NUS holds more meaning than a mere set-up of a Korean language program or department in any university.

Firstly, there are, and will be, many bilateral ties between Korea and Singapore in economics, trade, tourism, education and culture. Many talents who will contribute in these fields are expected to be grown from this programme in this established university.

Secondly, specialized academic research can be accomplished. Currently, the understanding of the Korean language is based largely on culture contents due to the “Korean Wave”. By having specialized teachers and lecturers to teach in the Korean language programme, a more proper education system can be established. Under NUS’s expertise and systematic approach, research done by the students can narrow the academic gap between the two countries.

Thirdly, this is an opportunity for long-term study and development of the Korean language. As of now, undoubtedly, the popularity of the Korean language is due to the “Korean Wave”. However, if the phenomenon dies down, the learning interest will lessen accordingly. But establishing a program in NUS is for the long run, and not temporary.


NUS has done various research and inquiry before establishing this program. Much expertise has been employed to prepare for the launch in August 2008, as officially announced. NUS curriculum will take into account on NUS Extension’s successful Korean Language Program case and students’ feedback in NUS campus. Thus compared to the set-up of other languages’ program, the Korean language faculty should be more well-assured for its launch.

Korean Language in Australia

The immigration of Koreans has increased since very early 90's and is expected to grow more. No one knows how Koreans came to Australia and when but number of Korean population is increasing steadily. Although Korean Hangeul School on Saturday is available and Korean language course is available in universities or colleges, the students are rarely taking Korean language. Compare to New Zealand, at least Australian government has been supporting Korean schools (Hangeul School on Sat.) for immigrants’ second generation and foreigners (locals) but the given budget from both (Australia and Korea) countries are insufficient as our immigrant society is economically weak and teaching manpower and materials are lacking.

I often compare with my experience in Singapore when I started setting up Korean courses for first time in Singapore and feel that I took a time-machine in Perth. However, I can see a potential for Korean languages for our next generation and foreign students to experience the great deal of benefits from learning Korean Language one day as my students have been experiencing in Singapore from the zero generation in Korean language learning if we consider below points and contribute.

1. Korean government needs to provide intensive supports for the revitalization of Korean Language Education providers especially for Hangeul Schools and universities. Korean books are must be in local libraries for young learners to improve their reading skills that also gives a connection to the culture in Korea from young.

2. Australian government should have more confident in introducing Korean language as Korea is in their top trade business countries and top universities should adopt Korean language in their SAT II test system as well as other Asian languages.

3. Korean Hangeul Schools must consider to have more trained teachers with teaching supports such as textbooks, materials, updated information in teaching, right honorarium etc.) and the schools must provide proficiency tests for the learners yearly so that the learners may aim for working or studying in Korea with the scholarship or own. Language is a tool and these students will contribute the economy for both Australia and Korea.

4. Second generation children should speak more than one language from this era as many South Asian countries education system has already implemented in their curriculums (e.g.: The Bilingual Education Policy in Singapore, Singapore) from two decades ago. All parents should be aware of importance of speaking Korean as it is their identity in them. Following up and checking their study and practicing it together at home should be carried out and there are useful information in the internet as well.

5. Foreign Students should have a confident to explore to study the language and the culture as many countries are doing business with Korea. Korea business market has been aggressively expanding internationally from late 90’s as everyone sees Samsung, LG, Hyundai, logos around us because Korea is now a business hub of Asia. Masters courses with the scholarship programs are given to many international students in Korea and getting the schoparship has been getting comptitive among international students and this shows the strong demands among international students and new generation Koreans.

To the immigrants, How about if our children do not have the Asian’s values in them anymore nor other speaking foreign languge from very young? I met foreign parents enrol their chileren to Hangeul schools for them to learn Korean. Both parents are not Korans.

To the countries, are we able to avoid the multinational society in Australian culture from now? Do we put enough budgets on our education system including second or foreign language programs? Not only the education can be the investment for ten decades but also it is intangible cultural assets for both countries.

Today, people used to be busy to be westernized but people want to be orientalized with many reasons. I might be unrealistic to point out above points with my one year living in Perth but there is a hope for everyone to make a difference from zero generation stage for our children and locals who value Korean culture in Perth.

24 April 2010

Basic Conversational Korean Textbook

While I was teaching at NUS Extension, we had found that one of institutions copied my materials. Not only had they erased my names on the pages but also they use for their Korean courses with my book in mid 2005.
Before Korean Language Course became Korean Language Program (KLP), all lecturers have to prepare their own notes to teach under “course”. Following KICE guide line is vital to design the course because I had a vision to teach Korean language with university level with a university textbook for first time in Singapore so that the students can immerse into the classes in Sogang university without a great deal of problem. After Korean Wave had arrived in Singapore, teaching Korean was getting easier as many people have a minimum level of knowledge from media such as greetings 안녕하세요? So teaching Korean became easier than I started to teach Korean in late 1990's with the internet's help too.

My textbook was for local students and the textbook lead them to next basic level of university textbooks smoothly. Below reasons made me to print my own textbook with NUS publishing with Dr. Kim C.W.'s advice and help.

As NUS Extension did not give any budget to buy textbook in advance, I had to put my money, some thousand dollars to order the Sogang University textbooks in advance and the order tooks three months to arrive. When the textbooks arrived after few months later then I could able to claim the money to NUS Extension but the payment took another few months to come back to me so I had been putting around S$6,000 ~ S$7,000 or more to order the books till Korean Language course became Korean Language Program. My basic level of textbook could lower the course fee too.

When I look at my textbook, I never forget the memory of hardship that I went through to make the Korean Language Program from the uneasy start.

It was the first born tailor made textbook with feedback of my students in Singapore taken into account. I never forget the students who helped me.

Starting Korean Language Course at NUS Extension

I approached NUS Extension(NEX) on the possibility of starting a Korean language course (KLC) with them in early Oct. 2003. After all consideration in the meetings and the big preparation, NEX was opened to a Korean Language Course (KLC) and was willing to give it a 6-month trail to gauge the response. The first course was launched in Feb 2004 and the first class response was good as some of my students spread the news that I moved to NEX. Whilst this was a positive first step, there were however many challenges that I had to deal with.

I had been planning to use the textbooks published by Sogang University as I was trained there, knew that the books were good teaching materials and had a confident in using the modified Sogang style at NEX. However, NEX could not allocate any budget for the importation of text books because the "KLC was not a programme". In fact, lecturers had to develop and able to use their own teaching materials for courses.

Should lecturers nonetheless required the use of imported text books, so I had to bear the cost of importing the textbooks first. Because NEX would only reimburse the lecturers for the number of books sold. The lecturers were left the bear the costs of any unsold books. So, I wrote new textbooks for level 1 and 2 but I imported Sogang textbooks from level 3 onwards. I used KICE (Korean Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation http://www.kice.re.kr/en/index.do)guide line for curriculum and tried my best to make the tailored made materials based on my teaching experience in Singapore. What ever situation was given, I starched my ability to make things happen while I was working.

The administration and logistics of arranging for importing text books were also left to me. For the first 18 month of my tenure with NEX, I had to personally arrange for the importation of the text books and had to make out-of-pocket payments amounting up to S$3,000 or more each time before being reimbursed by NEX at a much later date.

I believe that the very positive response to the first KLC at NEX in February 2004 was due the fact that I was the first to apply the CLT(Communicative Language Teaching) & Communicative teaching method in Singapore. I also had to tailored the KLC to fit local consumption as the original lesson plans did not completely meet the local audiences’ needs.
Mid 2004, I received a call from NEX management and was offered a new contract. And the KLC was upgraded to Korean Language program(KLP) in 2005 after I made the successful outcome for KLC. Budgets were discussed and professional advice sought. That was such a great relief because I could not continue to bear using my own money to import the textbooks when it touched more than $5,000 dollars. On top of that, doing exchange, immersion, having proficiency test center, arranging donation of books, recruiting teachers (new jobs to teachers) and other plans became easier to be planned.

My new plan (taking trainers) was submitted to the management and my ex student (Ms. Ong Wann) who learnt from chapter 1, was hired first in Sept. 2004. Ms. Ong Wann graduated from NTU and did a diploma in Korean language at the Sogang university in early 2001 and she wanted to teach Korean language although she was a Singaporean.  So, I took her heart to support her from Sept. 2004 at NEX. While she was under my training, she helped me some translation work as well and I helped her to get the scholarship at the Korean Foundation then she was doing Master degree in Korean language at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.  When she came back to Singapore after her study, I arranged a job for her to teach at Singapore Polytechnic.  Number of students or management people against the idea of taking her (non native Korean teacher) as a Korean teacher but I put my pure heart to someone who wants to be.
We always wished to find the teachers who have integrity, having professional team work mind, supportive and respecting others in any good or bad situations as a colleague,
I met great teachers while I was working together but not alway.  I and other senior teachers felt great deal of regret to train the teacher who merely use this teaching job for own benefits only without any moral or integrity.

However, I had to rush to achieve the plans before 2008. While I was working in NUS Extension, I felt very difficult to work to achieve the goals because I was also preparing for moving to Australia but as I could see the possibility of opening Korean even in the campus, I could not close my eyes to ignore so I decided to try to do it first. There are many significant meanings behind opening Korean language in Singapore.

Teaching Korean language in Singapore in the late 90's

When I first set foot in Singapore in the late 90’s, I noticed that the availability of Korean language courses was minimal. Educational institutes were reluctant to offer Korean language classes as it was not popular. No institutions wanted to use universities' textbooks and they used copied materials without proper curriculums or guide line from MOE(Ministry of Education). I was trying to understand as they find it troublesome to import the required books which were and are still costly or there were also questions raised over the teaching staff's ability to use such said books. However, regarding or respecting copyright was not an issue while I was working there and I was disappointed. I could just stay there to just teach, enjoy my popularity and earned money but I could not close my one eye to the wrong doing due to money or my carrier.

I quit my tenure with my previous insitution in mid-2003 without having my next teaching job due to some copyright issues. I still respect and thank the person who gave me the opportunity and promotes Korean language even though I was disappointed with the fact that the issue over copyrights was not talkable with same level of understanding in the developed country.

After my stint at the institution, I decided to give teaching a miss. But, a suggestion from former students that I teach the Korean language at university level instead, made me rethink my decision to give up teaching as a profession. I decided to explore the option of teaching the Korean language at university level. I believe that unlike a language institute, students would have access to better support, resources and exposure opportunities (such as via exchange programs) at the university level.

2nd Korean Language Speech Contest in Singapore

My students went for speech contests and sat for TOPIK and KLPT yearly. When I saw them with the awards and great results from the tests, I am rewarded.

일본에서 만난 한국: 진 테오
(2등)

(2회 말하기 대회에서 1등과 아주 근소 차이로 떨어진 학생, 진 테오의 스크립. 심사위원들이 너무 안타깝게 생각해 그 오빠를 만나고 오라고 2등상 이외에 즉석 준비한 아시아나 왕복비행기 티켓을 줌. (본인과 총 학습시간100시간을 한 학생)

안녕하세요? 저는 진 테오라고 합니다. 싱가포르국립대학교에 재학중이고, 전공은 일본학입니다. 저는 한국드라마를 처음 보면서 한국에 관심을 갖게 되었습니다. 그러던 2003년, 일본을 여행하는 중에 지혜라는 한국친구를 만났고 한국에 대한 관심은 더 높아졌습니다. 그래서 한국말이 배우고 싶어졌습니다. 2005년 4월부터 NUS Extension에서 한국말을 공부하기 시작했습니다. 한국어 수업이 재미있었습니다. 그리고 한국친구와 한국어로 이야기 하고 싶어서 정말 열심히 공부했습니다. 그러던 2006년 4월에 일본 후쿠오카로 교환학생을 가게 되었습니다. 제 전공이 일본학이기 때문에 일본에 교환학생을 갔지만, 사실 저는 한국에 더 관심이 많았습니다. 그래서, 일본에 가서도 일본 친구들보다 한국친구들을 더 많이 사귀었습니다. 그리고 그들을 만나면서 일본 남자들보다 한국 남자들이 더 멋있다는 것도 확실히 알게 되었습니다. 그렇게 일본에서 만난 한국 친구들 중에서, 정말 멋있는 남자를 보게 되었습니다. 연세대학교에서 온 친구였는데, 잘생기고, 똑똑하고, 착하고, 멋지고, 귀여운 남자였습니다. 특히 그 사람이 한국말 할 때의 목소리는 너무 멋있었습니다. 저는 그 사람을 처음 본 순간 사랑에 빠질 것이라고 예감했습니다. 어느 비 오는 날, 우리는 피아노가 있는 교실에 둘이서만 남게 되었습니다. 저는 피아노를 치고, 그 사람은 노래를 불렀습니다. 그 사람은 김범수씨의 '보고 싶다'라는 노래를 불렀습니다. 저는 그 시간이 영원하길 바랬습니다. 한참 노래를 불렀지만, 비는 그치지 않았습니다. 그래서 우리는 종이박스를 붙잡고 영화 '클래식'에서처럼 버스정류장까지 함께 뛰었습니다. 비를 많이 맞았지만, 참 행복했습니다. 교환학생이 끝나기 전에 저는 그 사람에게 좋아한다고 말하고 싶었지만, 용기가 없어서 결국 말하지 못하고, 그 사람은 한국으로 저는 싱가포르로 돌아왔습니다. 그 때 고백하지 못한 것이 후회가 됩니다. 혹시 기회가 있어 한국에 가게 된다면 그래서 다시 그 사람을 만나게 된다면 그 때는 꼭 용기 내어 말하고 싶습니다. 진이가 “오빠를 사랑해요” 라고 말이에요.

한국어공부 전과 후의 다른 한국방문

: 웡카이 (총 학습시간125시간)(3등인가? 기억이 가물 가물...)
안녕하십니까? 저는 웡 카이라고 합니다. 올해 칠월, 저는 대한민국 졍부초청 대학생 연수로 한국에 갔었습니다. 이번 방문은 정말 잊지 못 할 여행이었습니다.
제가 처음 한국에 갔을 때는 2004년 3월이었습니다. 그 때, 저는 교환학생으로 일본에서 유학하고 있었습니다. 한국에 간 적이 없어 그냥 한국에 가보기로 했습니다. 물론, 제 한국 친구들이 있었지만 다 들 바빠서 저 혼자서 있을 때가 많았습니다. 그래서, 길을 물을 때나, 식사를 주문 할 때, 정말 한국말을 써야 할 때가 많았습니다. 그 때 저는 한국어를 공부 한지 일개월 밖에 안 되어서 문제가 많았습니다. 물론 제 발음도 나빴습니다. 제가 한국사람한테 한국말로 이야기를 하면 제 말을 못 알아 들었습니다. 무엇보다 식사를 주문 할 때 가장 슬펐습니다. 주문하면 언제나 다른 음식을 먹어야만 했습니다. 그래서 한국어를 열심히 공부하기로 마음을 먹었습니다.
이번 칠월에, 싱가포르한국대사관과 배 선생님의 추천으로 고맙게도 이번 연수에 참가하였습니다. 그 동안 제 한국어 실력이 얼마나 늘었는지 시험해 보고 싶었습니다. 역시 이 번 방문 경험하고 첫 번째 방문은 너무 달랐습니다. 보통 한국 사람들이 너무 빨리 이야기 해서 제가 알아 듣기 힘듭니다. 하지만 한국사람들이 제가 외국사람인 것을 알고 천천히 이야기 해주면 의외로 듣는데 별 문제가 없었습니다. 제일 재미있는 것은 한국 사람들이 제가 한국사람이라고 생각할 때가 정말 많았습니다. 왜냐하면 한국어를 열심히 공부한 후, 제 발음이 정말 좋아졌습니다. 가게에서 물건을 살 때제가 외국사람이라고 하면 놀라더군요. 그리고 이 연수로 한국에 가서 다른 나라의 학생들하고 같이 밖에 나간 기회가 많았습니다. 제가 한국말을 해서 모두 저하고 같이 나가고 싶어했습니다. 정말 저는 인기가 좋았지요. 그래서 서로 다른 나라의 문화도 많이 공유했습니다. 그래서 이번 두 번째 한국방문은 정말 기쁘고 좋은 추억만 저에게 남겨 주었습니다. 한국어를 열심히 공부한 후 여러 사람을 많이 만날 수 있었고, 한국에 생활도 더욱 즐거워졌습니다. 한국어 공부를 통해서 너무 좋은 경험을 얻어서 이제 한국어 공부를 정말 열심이 계속하고 싶습니다.

Korean Langauge Learning Experience in Sogang University (by Wee S.K.)

One of my students : Ms. Wee S. K. who went to study Korean in Sogang University and has been working in the Embassy in Seoul since 2007.

한국어를 현지에서 직장인이나 현지 학생들이 일주일에 한 번 배우는 코스를 다니다가 한국에서 3개월쯤이라도 한국어를 배우고 나서 돌아오는 학생들은 한국어 학습에서 이해도 빠르고 학습의 요령도 좀 알게 된다. 중요한 것은 자신감이 생겨서 학습의 동기를 늘 부여하지 않아도 공부를 꾸준히 하는 학생들이 많다는 것이다. 하지만 학습자마다 학습방법이나 능력이 다르기 때문에 만약 현지에 돌아와 일주 한 번 받는 코스로 들어 올 시 항상 레벨테스트를 해서 재배치를 잘 해줘야 한다. 문제는 한국에서 한국어도 공부하고 현지에서 한국어를 최고 레벨까지 가도 그 다음에 한국어를 현지에서 제대로 공부할 수 없는 것이 아쉬운 실정이다. 물론 거기에 맞는 코스를 만들 수 는 있는데 그 그룹부터는 학생들 마다 큰 차이가 있어 소규모 반을 운영해야 하는 것이 좋다. 하지만 경영적 면에서 보면 좀 어렵다고 볼 수 있다.
옆 사진의 학생은 석캥으로 서강대에서 두어번 3개월 코스를 받았었다. 말하기 중심의 서강대의 교수법을 아주 좋아했고 현재는 한국에서 일하고 있다. 이 학생의 경우 현지에서 (일주일에 한 번 코스) 100시간 미만의 한국어학습을 하고 서강으로 갔었다. 덧붙여, 한국에서 하숙집이나 어떤 힘든 일로 한국에서 공부하는 동안 고생한 친구들은 한국말을 더 잘하는 경향이 있었다. 어떤 학생은 자기 고생담을 한국말로 열심히 설명할 때 같이 속상해 했지만 말하는 동안은 정말 귀여웠다. 석캥과 일본친구과 발표한 자료를 보여주면서 사직을 찍은 장면. http://klec.sogang.ac.kr/

NUS- Opened Korean Language

2008년 8월, 싱가포르국립대 외국어로서 한국어 과정 개설

싱가포르 국립대학교(이하 NUS)는 2008년 8월 외국어로서 한국어 과정 개설을 결정하고 작년부터 한국 대사관측과 학과 개설과 관련된 사항들을 협의했다. 부설연구기관인 NUS Extension은 2004년부터 한국어 과정을 시작하였다. 4년 동안 꾸준히 발전한 NUS Extension의 한국어 과정은 싱가포르 내에서 한국과 한국어에 대한 관심을 불러 일으키고 한국어를 취미가 아닌 학문으로 접근하고자 하는 학생들도 늘어나도록 하였다. 2006년 NUS 본 교도 한국대학들과 교류.교환을 늘리고자 12월 초 한국어를 외국어로 Center for Language Studies에서 개설을 결정하였다.
이와 같은 NUS 의 결정에 한국국제교류재단(KOREAN FOUNDATION)은 한국어 세계화를 위한 여러 조건이 부합하는 싱가포르 국립대학교에 아래와 같은 답변을 하며 적극적으로 지원할 것을 약속했다.
한국교류재단의 답장에서 “한국 교류재단의 심사회는 싱가포르 국립대학교가 한국어 프로그램 실시하는 취지를 높이 산다. 이는 싱가포르 국립대학교가 NUS 엑스텐션을 통해 입증된 늘어나는 한국어 학습 요구에 부응하고자 한 것이다. 그리고 세계화 교육의 일환으로 한국어 능력이 되는 싱가포르 국립대학교 학생들이 한국 대학들과의 교환 프로그램에 참여할 수 있는 기회를 마련해 주기 위함이다.”라고 밝혔다.

현재 세계랭킹 19위의 싱가포르 국립대학교(NUS)의 한국어과정의 개설(韓國語의 開設)은 단순히 한 대학이 한국어를 오픈하는 것과는 달리 다른 의미를 가지고 있다.
첫째, 한국과 싱가포르 사이의 경제, 무역, 관광, 교육, 문화 교류를 앞당기는 계기가 될 것으로 전망된다. 세계 유수의 대학에 한국어 과정이 개설됨으로써 고급 인력 배출을 통한 경제, 무역, 관광 등의 분야에 크게 기여할 것으로 보인다.
둘째, 전문적인 학술, 연구 교류가 이루어 진다. 현재의 한국어 보급은 주로 한류에 기반을 둔 문화 콘텐츠를 중심으로 이루어졌다. 그러나 NUS에 한국어 과정이 개설됨으로써 전문성을 갖춘 강사와 교수진을 기반으로 체계적인 한국어 보급의 지표가 될 것으로 전망하고 있다. 이러한 전문성과 체계를 갖춘 NUS에서 배출된 학생들의 논문 결과는 양국간의 학술적 거리를 좁히는 데 좋은 자료가 될 것이다.
셋째, 장기적으로 한국어를 연구하고 발전시킬 수 있는 계기를 마련하였다.
현재까지의 한국어는 한류와 함께 큰 인기를 모으고 있는 것이 사실이다. 이는 곧 한류가 사라지면 한국어 학습자도 사라질 수 있다는 불안감을 준다. 그러나 NUS에 한국어 과정이 개설되면서 단기적이고 말초적인 요인에 휩쓸리지 않는 장기적인 창구가 생긴 것이다.

NUS는 각종 리서치와 자문을 통해 교과과정 구축하면서 자체 심사를 거쳐 전문적인 인력이 확보되는 2008년 8월부터 공식적으로 한국어 과정을 개설한다. 한국어의 성공적인 운영 케이스를 NUS 엑스텐션을 통 해 본 봐 있고 본 교에서는 한국과의 학술교류와 교환을 늘리고자 열리는 과정이기 때문에 한국어 과정 개설을 담당하는 교수진들은 다른 언어 과정을 개설할 때 보다 한국어 개설에 강한 자신감을 가졌다.

참고: NUS Extension의 한국어 프로그램 소개
NUS 엑스텐션은 1960년 싱가포르 국립대학교의 교외부설 연구부서로 발족했다. NUS 엑스텐션 은 크게 다음과 같이 세 부서로 나뉘어 진다. 엔터프라이즈 리더쉽, 전문경영개발, 평생교육으로 엔터프라이즈 리더쉽에서는 싱가포르국립대학교의 강점을 살린 단기 코스 (라이프 사이언스 와 IT관련)가 공.사기업의 경영자들을 중심으로 열리며, 전문경영개발코스에는 공무원과 일반인들이 계속 새롭고 전문적인 지식을 단기코스로 개발하여 운영한다. 마지막으로 평생교육 부서 아래 언어교육이 위치하고 있으며 NUS 강사들과 외부 강사들로 구성된다. 특히 영어와 중국어 프로그램은 본교에서 파생이 되어 나온 프로그램이지만 한국어만은 2003년 10월 오픈을 결정하면서 2004년 초부터 지금까지 NUS 엑스텐션 내부에서도 성공케이스로 오를 만큼 빠른 발전을 했다. 따라서 NUS 엑스텐션은 크게 위에서 말한 세 부서 아래 약 300여가지 장.단기 코스와 디플로마 코스를 운영하여 우리가 흔히 생각하는 언어학원 혹은 평생교육원의 성격과는 조금 다른 성격으로 운영된다.
(Initiated in Oct 2003, 480 in 2004, 580 in 2005, 1,000 in 2006, 1,500명 - 2007)

NUS Extension에서 한국어 과정은 2003년 10월 한국어 과정 제안서를 받은 후 자체 심사를 거쳐 2004년부터 시작되었다.
교외부설 연구기관에서 시작한 한국어 과정의 성공은 NUS 본교에 한국어 과정이 개설되는 전례 없는 결과를 만들어 냈다. 성공으로 이끈 NUS Extension 한국어 프로그램에서 주목할 만한 것들이 있다.

첫째는 대학교 교과서를 바탕으로 한 교과과정과 그에 따른 교수법을 적극 도입했으며. 매 학기마다 학생들한테 Survey를 해서 학습자가 원하는 코스가 되도록 노력했다. 또한 그 해 2학기부터는 한국 대학들과 MOU를 맺고 현지 싱가포르 학생들에게 한국에서 공부할 수 있는 기회를 제공하였다. 거기에 멈추지 않고 싱가포르 학생들의 실정에 맞는 장.단기 코스를 소개하면서 프로그램을 업그레이드 시켰다. 학생들이 한국에 공부하러 갈 때, 부분적으로 장학금 제도를 마련하고 한국에서의 현장학습의 중요성을 설명하여 동기를 부여했다. 그 다음해는 KLPT(Korean Language Proficiency Test)시험센타로 계약을 맺어 학생들이 취미로 한국어를 배우고 끝나지 않도록 자격증까지 갖추도록 프로그램을 내실화 했다.

둘째는 NUS Extension과 NUS 도서관에 비치된 한국관련 도서들로 인한 한국어의 위상 정립이다. 2005년도에 유광석 대사님이 약 500부 정도를 NUS 엑스텐션에 기증하셨으며 지금은 싱가포르 국립대학교 중앙도서관에 한국어 교과서 세트들이 구비되어 있다. 싱가포르에서 한국어 도서와 교과서를 구하기 힘든 만큼 NUS 엑스텐션과 NUS 도서관에 비치된 한국관련 도서들은 한국에 대한 정보를 정확하게 알 수 있고 연구하는데 중요한 자료가 될 것이다.

셋째, 한국문화 보급에 앞장서고자 드라마반과 한국문화반을 개설하고 있다.
한국대학교에서 보통 듣기와 이해력 향상으로 도입하는 드라마반을 운영하고 있으며, 문화반에서는 유명한 교수의 교과과정이 담긴 책을 채택하고 기증된 여러 한국의 사진을 사용하여 학습자에게 제대로 된 상식을 전하고자 많은 노력한다.

마지막으로 이런 교과과정들이 가능하게 하는 전문적인 자격과 경험을 바탕으로 한 교사들의 확보이다. 싱가포르 내에서도 한국어 학습자의 수요에 비해 전문적인 자격과 경험을 갖춘 교사가 부족하여 교사의 자질 문제가 제기된 적이 있다. NUS 엑스텐션에서는 경희대학교에서 한국어 석사 과정을 마친 교사를 파견 받아 교사의 질적 향상에 신경 쓰고 있으며 현재(2008) 세 번째 파견강사가 나와 있다. 현 교사들도 자격증을 가지고 있음은 물론이고 훈련을 마치고 수업에 임해야 하며 선생으로서 자질과 팀웍도 중요히 보는 요인이다. NUS 엑스텐션에서 현지인으로는 최초로 한국어 선생이 된 옹완(Ong Wann)양이 한국에서 올 해부터 한국교류재단의 장학금을 받고 한국에서 석사를 밟고 지금은 졸업 논문을 준비하고 있다. 참고로 옹완양은 2008년에 13회 세계한국어웅변대회에서 말레이지아 대사상을 탔다.

이렇게 NUS 엑스텐션 한국어 프로그램은 학생들의 피드백을 바탕으로 학습자중심의 프로그램을 만들도록 늘 노력했다. 한국어 코스를 NUS 엑스텐션에 2004년에 처음으로 소개한 전 한국어 프로그램 전임자 배현경은 여러 질문을 축약하여 이렇게 몇 마디로 밝힌다. “지금의 한국어 프로그램은 제안과 노력으로 시작되었지만 학생들의 피드백으로 완성되어 갔습니다. 물론 이렇게 되기까지 저희 CEO와 NUS 엑스텐션의 경영진의 서포트도 빠질 수 없었습니다.
저는 전임자이기 전에 선생입니다. 저는 단순히 한국어를 가르쳐주는 것이 아니라 “혼”을 불어 넣어 주는 작업을 하는 사람이라는 것을 깨달아 가고 있었기 때문에 대학 내에서 한국어 과정 개설의 중요성을 피부로 느끼고 있었습니다. 한국어 보급의 파급은 여러 면에서 굉장한 의미가 있습니다. 처음에 NUS 엑스텐션에서 일을 시작할 때 그저 가르치는 것이 좋아서 한국어가 좋아서 시작했습니다. 하지만 프로그램이 점차 활성화되자 대학 내에 한국어 과정 개설이 눈에 보이기 시작했습니다. 본 교에서 한국어개설의 여부를 고려중인 중요한 시기에 발표의 기회를 받게되면서 즉각적으로 NUS 본 교에서 있을 한국어 과정 개설에 대한 발표준비를 밤을 새우며 가슴에 벅차 슬라이드를 만들었습니다. 왜 그랬는지는 아마도 제가 이 직업을 가지면서 깨닫게 된 제 안에 있는 “한국인”으로서 혹은 이 아름다운 언어와 나라를 제대로 알리고 싶어 하는 한 “선생”의 한국어 사랑이라고 봅니다. 즉 그 언어는 그 나라얼굴과 문화를 대변하고 세계를 잇는 의사소통의 큰 도구입니다. 대학내의 한국어는 전문 강사들의 일자리를 제공하고 그 분들이 현지에서 한국어교육의 질을 올리고 유지하면서 방향을 제시하며서 KF에서 보내주는 도서들은 한국어를 알리는데 좋은 자료가 될 것입니다. 새로 오시는 전문가(교수.강사와 관련 인사들)들이 한국어보급의 파급을 제대로 인식하고 잘 키워 양국에 발전에 기여하는 학문적.경제적인 큰 창구가 되리라 믿습니다”.