The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Institute of Korean Language and the Ministry of Justice on Dec. 11 announced the release of their jointly produced textbooks for expats in Korea unofficially titled "The Korean Immigration and Integration Program's Korean Language and Korean Culture." The series is composed of one pre-beginner-, two beginner- and two intermediate-level textbooks. (National Institute of Korean Language)

By Lee Jihae

The government has published a series of textbooks on the Korean language and culture for the estimated 2.1 million foreign residents of the country.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Institute of Korean Language and Ministry of Justice on Dec. 11 announced the release of their jointly produced series under the unofficial title "Korean Immigration and Integration Program's Korean Language and Korean Culture."

The series is composed of one pre-beginner-, two beginner- and two intermediate-level textbooks that focus on the Korean language and culture that immigrants need to know to settle in Korean society. The characters in the textbooks are marriage immigrants, foreign workers and international students who share information and thoughts with Koreans.

The textbooks are available at major bookstores, with the pre-beginner textbook priced KRW 6,000 and all others in the series KRW 10,000 each.

Supplementary aids for the textbooks are available at the Center for Teaching and Learning Korean's website (kcenter.korean.go.kr).

A Culture Ministry source said, "We hope that these textbooks help expats learn Korean systematically and faithfully and that they're widely used as helpful guides to widen their understanding of Korean culture."

jihlee08@korea.kr