INCREASE IN THAIS LEARNING KOREAN

[Anchor Lead]

As more and more foreigners learn the Korean language, an increasing number of students overseas take Korean as their foreign language option for college admission. In Thailand, students learning Korean even out numbered those learning Japanese.

[Pkg]

Fifty-two teachers from Korea arrived in Bangkok to teach the Korean language and alphabet. The're brimming with excitement ahead of meeting their students but are also concerned about adjusting to an unfamiliar teaching environment.

[Soundbite] (Korean Language Matching Teacher) : "(How many hours per week do you teach Korean at your school?) 29 hours."

[Soundbite] Choi E-seul(Korean Language Teacher Sent to Thailand) : "(How are the class hours divided between you two?) I am to teach 17 hours."

[Soundbite] Kraumer Wanida(Korean Language Teacher) : "Thai students learn mostly Korean grammar. It’s hard to learn to speak conversational Korean."

These teachers will now teach the Korean language to Thai students across the country.

[Soundbite] "Hello!"

A public high school in Bangkok.

[Soundbite] "Make a sentence using the word 'like'."

[Soundbite] "(I want to be fluent in Korean like you.) Really?"

For this year’s college entrance exam in Thailand, roughly 3,700 students chose Korean as their second language. The number of Thai students learning Korean has overtaken those taking Japanese and it is increasing rapidly at about 4 to 5% annually, faster than those studying other major languages. They study using the e-book written by the Korean government.

A training center has opened to groom more Korean language teachers in Thailand. An urgent issue that follows a spike in Korean classes is a lack of local teachers capable of teaching Korean.

[Soundbite] Sornpapa Siripataravit(Vice Principal, Sarawittaya High School) : "Nearly 200 students applied to learn the Korean language last year, but we were able to teach only 36 of them."

[Soundbite] Oh Min-woo(Korean Teacher in Thailand) : "I believe cultural or national power begins with language. I hope many Thai students learn Korean and spread their interest in Korea."

Worldwide, roughly 170,000 foreign students chose Korean as their second language last year, a nearly 6% increase in just one year.