By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Esraa Saad Said from Egypt
Photos = Esraa Saad Said

Since the launch of the Korean Cultural Center in Cairo and the Korean-language King Sejong Institute in 2014, the students at the institute had been unable to hold a ceremony or party to mark completion of a level because of lack of accreditation.

That all changed on March 24.

The institute's completion ceremony started off with a welcoming speech from Yang Sang-keun, general director of the institute in Cairo, who encouraged students to continue learning Korean and serve as future ambassadors of the language in Egypt. The teachers also expressed best wishes to their students.

As for me, I felt thrilled over finishing Level 5, which is considered intermediate. For three years, I had learned Korean as my third language in addition to English and German but couldn't receive a certificate of proficiency in Korean. Discovering that the institute in Cairo had no accreditation greatly upset me.

Students had asked over and over again to get such a certificate to apply for jobs related to Korean companies in Egypt, but our efforts proved futile. A ray of hope appeared late last year, however, after the institute was put under the supervision of its headquarters in Seoul.

After accreditation was finally granted, the number of applicants gradually increased, with the institute accepting students from Argentina and Japan. This semester will see the debut of Level 6 at the institute, and the addition of Levels 7 and 8 soon is rumored.


wisdom117@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.