Korean Language Institute

The Yonsei University Korean Language Institute (Hangul: 한국어학당 Hanja:linktext|韓|國|語| 學|堂) provides instruction in Korean as a foreign language for international students and businesspersons in Seoul.

Established in 1959, over 62,000 students from more than 120 countries have studied at Yonsei KLI.

Most students have come from Japan (over 18,000), USA (over 16,000) or PRC (over 3,000).

Program Overview

Using a six level series of books published in-house, the institute implements its instruction through its A or B course. The A course moves at a quick pace and completes one book per semester term, while the B course is paced a bit slower. Usually, students native to other Asian countries or having some prior knowledge of the Korean language opt for the A course, while students coming from Western language backgrounds are encouraged to take the B course. Due to a lack of demand, however, the B course may not be offered every term if there are not enough students enrolled.

Level one starts with the most basic skills of reading and pronouncing the Korean alphabet and various character combinations while providing a foundation of elementary grammar. Levels two and three build on these with increasingly complex sentence structures and vocabulary. Levels four through six are notably more intensive than the first three and deal with refining speaking and writing skills for everyday fluency, Korean university entrance, or professional application.

Each level consists of 10 weeks of instruction, totaling 200 classroom hours. If a student accumulates more than 40 hours of absences from class, he or she cannot move on to the next level without exception. Students are graded based on a midterm and final exam and must receive at least a 60 percent score in each subject (writing, reading, listening and speaking) in order to move on to the next level. If a student fails to achieve this score during the original testing period, the option of retesting the trouble subject is available as long as he or she failed three or less of the subjects. If all four test scores were substandard, the student must repeat the level.

pecial Activities

The school utilizes special contests each semester to aid in instruction. The first three levels include a speaking contest, Korean song contest, and stage play contest.

Also, there are various cultural activities for students to participate in ranging from cooking Korean foods or visiting museums to creating traditional items such as masks or fans.

Housing

Housing is available on campus in the International House. It is conveniently located next to the Korean Language Institute. KLI students are only guaranteed their first semester of housing there, and living there in subsequent terms is subject to room availability. A room here is shared between two students, and bathrooms are communal. The building is separated into male and female wings with barred entry for members of the opposite sex. There are small television lounges on each floor, a study lounge with computers with internet access on the first floor, and a large lounge and laundry room in the basement level. Security is present in the building, and entry is permitted by a specified code number inputed at the door, or by fingerprint identification in the same system. Fee: 900,000 Korean won per KLI term

Many students live in a student boarding house or "ha-suk-jib" (Hangul: 하숙집 Hanja: linktext|下|宿|집). These places usually allow the student to live in a private room, and some meals are included. Typically, an older woman runs the house and provides breakfast and dinner for those living in it. The quality and quantity of the food will vary based on price and owner, but this is the most popular housing option for Korean college students and most KLI students. Fee: 300-600,000 Won per month, depending on many factors

A goshiwon (Hangul: 고시원 Hanja: linktext|考|試|院) offers similar privacy to the ha-suk-jib, but the facilities may not be as comfortable. Rooms tend to be small, but the prices are significantly cheaper than most ha-suk-jibs. Fee: 150,000-400,000 Korean won per month

One-room (studio) apartments or multiple room apartments are available as well, but the prices are usually higher. Also, it is common policy for landlords to ask for large deposits from foreign nationals wishing to live in a place they are renting out. Fees range greatly, but monthly rent typically starts at 400,000 Won.

External links

* [http://www.yskli.com/index.asp Yonsei KLI] Official site (English)