International students at KAIST have been provided with an increasing number of Korean classes in 2010 at the KAIST Language Center.

The non-credit Korean classes are accompanied with a series of activities for KAIST international students and other foreigners in Daejeon to improve their Korean language skills and experience Korean culture.

“Our class always has a great atmosphere. We not only learn [Korean] from the textbook but also practice speaking [Korean], have presentations and do extra activities,” said Juan Pablo Duarte Sepulveda, a KAIST electrical engineering graduate student.

According to Korean class records provided by the KAIST Language Center, 2010 is the first year during which the KAIST Language Center has offered Korean classes in all four semesters. Also, in the fall 2010 semester the number of levels of the Korean classes have increased from three to four, allowing people to choose from Beginner, High Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes. Classes are held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., twice a week at the KAIST International Center.

“The KAIST Language Center has been offering non-credit Korean classes since 2007. Recently, more and more foreigners want to learn and improve [their] Korean through classroom experience, and the KAIST Language Center added more non-credit Korean classes this year,” Deokshin Kim, the Intermediate and Advanced Korean class teacher, said.

Many foreigners at KAIST are pleased that there are more Korean classes in KAIST now.

“I've been studying Korean for three years, but was not able to take an Advanced Korean class because not enough registered students fit this level. So, I am glad that KAIST finally opened an Advanced Korean class this semester,” KAIST English professor Donald Rikley said with a big smile. Many students also requested that the Language Center extend the class times per semester to exceed the 24 hours currently offered.

“Night classes are very desirable [so] that we can learn some Korean after school work,” said Pattaraporn Lohsoontorn, a research assistant professor at the KAIST Full Cell Research Center, “I hope the period can be extended [so] that we can go to classes throughout the semester.”

Based on complaints about the class hours, the KAIST Language Center will extend class hours from next year.

“The Korean class hours will be increased to 48 hours per semester from the 2011 spring semester and the real beginner class to learn the Korean alphabet will open every month,” said Jongseok Lee, the team leader of the KAIST Language Center.