Türkiye and South Korea have cherished strong relations for a long time because of a shared history dating back to the Korean War. However, ties nowadays are strengthened with a rising interest in both countries in the South Korean and Turkish languages. One of South Korea's largest universities joined the growing trend and is scheduled to offer Turkish courses to its students.
Sungdo Kim, who teaches linguistics at Korea University in the capital Seoul, contacted the Anatolian Semiotic Research Association (ANASEM), which is headquartered in Balıkesir, northwestern Türkiye, the governorship said in a statement.
Kim asked for help to find a lecturer to teach Turkish, for a course to be taught in both semesters. Kim last summer attended an international semiotics workshop in Balıkesir. Şükrü Kara, the deputy governor of Balıkesir and ANASEM honorary head, said Turkish is a universal language. As it gains more popularity worldwide, it will be easier for other nations to recognize and learn Turkish culture, he said.
Mustafa Özsarı, the head of ANASEM, said that faculty members who speak advanced English and are experienced in teaching Turkish will be assigned to the South Korean university.
South Korean language teaching flourished in Türkiye in recent years, thanks to the global popularity of South Korean TV shows and K-Pop fan culture. Likewise, the Turkish language enjoys a peaking interest abroad because of the popularity of Turkish TV shows across the world and Türkiye's rising stand in the international community.
South Korea already has a popular Turkology department at Hankuk University, from which nearly 1,000 students have graduated since it was inaugurated in 1973.
