The South Korean government funds an educational program that teaches and promotes the Korean language at more than a hundred branches around the world.<br />And this week, the King Sejong Institute celebrated its 10th anniversary.<br />Our Choi Si-young attended the celebration -- a conference for hundreds of Korean language educators. <br /><br /> Around 200 people, including staff from King Sejong Institute branches in 44 countries, gathered Tuesday at the 10th World Korean Educators Conference.<br />To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the foundation invited the heads of its regional institutes and honored their achievements with awards.<br /><br />This year's event was made all the more special by actor Song Seung-whan, who gave a keynote speech.<br />Song was the producer of the electrifying ceremonies at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.<br /><br /> "I hope more Korean language educators from overseas can learn all about Korean culture. In addition to K-pop or Korean TV dramas, I hope they learn here about our traditional culture."<br /><br /> The foundation welcomed the foreign Korean educators with traditional cultural performances like drumming and dance.<br /> <br />"I first got interested in the language watching Korean dramas. That made me interested in the country, too, so I started learning Korean."<br /> <br />"My interest in Korean grew because the Korean culture and language were beautiful. So, I wanted to learn Korean."<br /><br /> "At the four-day event, visitors will also be able to enjoy some traditional Korean culture, including Nanta, a non-verbal comedy show directed by keynote speaker Song Seung-whan."<br /><br /> At a separate venue, the foundation also plans to give its staff more training and share success stories in teaching the Korean language.<br /><br />Choi Si-young, Arirang News. <br />
