earticle

영어

This article aims to investigate the current states of Korean language education in Japan for the purpose of intercultural exchange, with the focus on the affinity and the value of Korean and the Intercultural Exchange. It differentiates itself from previous studies, by targeting the learner groups that have not been received much attention in quantitative research paradigm. The observation on the meaning of intercultural exchange and Korean is first made, and then it moves to the general outlines of the Korean language courses provided by JET(The Japan Exchange and Teaching) programme and the Japanese local governments. Research methods and procedures are specified up next, and the current states of Korean education in Japan for the purpose of intercultural exchange are presented. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that the Korean language courses could be categorized into five types based on the learners’ motivation: (1) Korean for regional promotion and tourist reception, (2) Korean as a foreign language or Korean for continuing education, (3) Korean for practical use such as travel and personal interaction, (4) Korean for understanding international relations and multicultural society. For each type, concrete cases are given. Learners of Korean in the courses funded by Japanese government are found to be sharing the following characters. First, they were highly self-motivated and sought opportunities for the target language exposure, especially when Korean is not a means of surviving or earning a living. Second, their effort to be in contact with the target language and the culture was intermittent but consistent, in informal institutions rather than formal ones. Third, the learners were far from being homogeneous, ranging in age from mid-teens to seniors and varying in occupation as well. As such, this article takes explorative approach and sheds a new light on the current states of Korean language education overseas.