29 New King Sejong Institutes Designated in 2026, Expanding the Network to 273 in 89 Countries
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the King Sejong Institute Foundation designated 29 new institutes in 23 countries, expanding the worldwide network to 273 locations in 89 countries.
# 29 New King Sejong Institutes Designated in 2026, Expanding the Network to 273 in 89 Countries
- A record 102 organizations in 45 countries applied for designation, reaffirming strong demand to learn Korean
- First institutes designated in 3 previously unserved countries, including Greece, Rwanda and Sri Lanka
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, led by Minister Choi Hwi-young and referred to below as MCST, announced on Tuesday, June 30 that it had designated 29 new King Sejong Institutes in 23 countries together with the King Sejong Institute Foundation, chaired by Jeon Woo-yong and referred to below as the Foundation. Korean-language and Korean-culture courses are now available at 273 King Sejong Institutes in 89 countries worldwide.
In 2025, a total of 239,020 students studied Korean online or in person at King Sejong Institutes around the world, the highest annual enrollment on record. The figure reflects the South Korean government's sustained and systematic support for the spread of Korean since the first King Sejong Institute opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 2007.
For this year's recruitment, 102 organizations in 45 countries applied to operate new King Sejong Institutes, the largest number of applications in the past 5 years. A designation review committee comprising experts in Korean-language education, international cultural exchange and other fields assessed applicants' operational capacity, educational environment and local demand for Korean. The new institutes were selected after document review, on-site inspection and final review.
| Region | Selected countries; underlined countries were previously unserved | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|
| (11 countries) | Laos (1), Vietnam (1), Sri Lanka (1), Uzbekistan (3), India (1), Indonesia (2), China (3), Kyrgyzstan (1), Tajikistan (1), Thailand (1), Palestine (1) | 16 |
| (7 countries) | Greece (1), Germany (1), Latvia (1), Sweden (1), Spain (1), Georgia (1), Türkiye (2) | 8 |
| (3 countries) | United States (1), Argentina (1), Chile (1) | 3 |
| (2 countries) | Rwanda (1), Madagascar (1) | 2 |
| Total | 29 institutes in 23 countries | 29 |
First institutes designated in 3 previously unserved countries: Greece, Rwanda and Sri Lanka
King Sejong Institutes will open this year in Greece, Rwanda and Sri Lanka, which previously had none. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece's largest comprehensive university, will operate an institute with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and provide systematic Korean-language education in a strong learning environment. In Rwanda, International Covenant College in Kigali will operate an institute with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Rwanda. Sri Lanka is a sending country under the Employment Permit System, or EPS, and has very high demand for Korean study, but has lacked providers of systematic Korean-language education. The institute jointly operated by the University of Ruhuna in Matara and Dongwon Institute of Science and Technology is expected to help meet local demand.
9 universities, including Seoul National University, join the King Sejong Institute program for the first time
Of the institutes newly designated this year, 19 will operate in partnership with 19 educational institutions in South Korea. In particular, 9 universities, including Seoul National University, are participating in King Sejong Institute operations for the first time. Their participation is expected to help attract outstanding international talent to South Korea and strengthen universities' international capabilities.
An MCST policy official said, “Reviewing the record number of applications for King Sejong Institute designation showed us the extraordinary popularity of the Korean language in the international community.” The official added, “We will continue expanding the King Sejong Institute network in response to strong demand for Korean-language education.”
Attachment 1. List of newly designated King Sejong Institutes 2. King Sejong Institute status as of June 2026
| Attachment 1 | | List of newly designated King Sejong Institutes; order retained from the Korean source (Korean alphabetical order) | | --- | --- | --- |
| No. | Country | City | Operating organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | Thessaloniki | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki-Hankuk University of Foreign Studies |
| 2 | Germany | Regensburg | Volkshochschule Regensburg-Wonkwang University |
| 3 | Laos | Pakse | Champasak University-Sahmyook Health University |
| 4 | Latvia | Riga | University of Latvia |
| 5 | Rwanda | Kigali | International Covenant College-Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Rwanda |
| 6 | Madagascar | Toamasina | University of Toamasina-Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Madagascar |
| 7 | United States | Valdosta | Valdosta State University-Hannam University |
| 8 | Vietnam | Hung Yen | Hung Yen University of Technology and Education-Choonhae College of Health Sciences |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | Matara | University of Ruhuna-Dongwon Institute of Science and Technology |
| 10 | Sweden | Gothenburg | Medborgarskolan-Gothenburg Korean Cultural Center |
| 11 | Spain | Las Palmas | University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Foundation |
| 12 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | University of Buenos Aires Language Institute |
| 13 | Uzbekistan | Namangan | Namangan State Technical University-GyeongKuk National University |
| 14 | Uzbekistan | Bukhara | Bukhara University of Innovative Education and Medicine-Chungwoon University |
| 15 | Uzbekistan | Tashkent | KS Korea Employment Information Co., Ltd. |
| 16 | India | Chennai | Vellore Institute of Technology-Busan University of Foreign Studies |
| 17 | Indonesia | Mataram | University of Mataram-Seoul National University |
| 18 | Indonesia | Bekasi | LSPR Institute of Communication and Business-Kyungwoon University |
| 19 | Georgia | Tbilisi | Ilia State University-Inha University |
| 20 | China | Macao | Macau University of Science and Technology-Sejong University |
| 21 | China | Zhengzhou | Zhengzhou Shengda University of Economics, Business and Management-Nambu University |
| 22 | China | Hangzhou | Hangzhou Gongshu District Gongda Future Technology Research Institute-Chosun University |
| 23 | Chile | Santiago | King Sejong Institute Foundation |
| 24 | Kyrgyzstan | Jalal-Abad | Jalal-Abad State University-Halla University |
| 25 | Tajikistan | Khujand | Khujand Institute of Economy and Trade, Tajik State University of Commerce-Shinhan University |
| 26 | Thailand | Bangkok | Dhurakij Pundit University |
| 27 | Türkiye | Rize | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University-Daegu Haany University |
| 28 | Türkiye | Ankara | Ankara University TÖMER-Honam University |
| 29 | Palestine | Bethlehem | Bethlehem University-Representative Office of the Republic of Korea in Palestine |
| Attachment 2 | | King Sejong Institute status as of June 2026 | | --- | --- | --- |
- King Sejong Institutes by type and continent
| Continent | Hub, general and collaborative King Sejong Institutes | Subtotal | Korean Cultural Center King Sejong Institutes | Subtotal | Korean Education Center King Sejong Institutes | Subtotal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | Nepal (1), Timor-Leste (1), Laos (3), Malaysia (3), Mongolia (4), Myanmar (1), Bahrain (1), Bangladesh (1), Vietnam (17), Saudi Arabia (1), Sri Lanka (1), United Arab Emirates (3), Azerbaijan (1), Jordan (1), Uzbekistan (11), Iran (1), India (7), Indonesia (10), China (19), Kazakhstan (2), Cambodia (5), Kuwait (1), Kyrgyzstan (5), Tajikistan (3), Thailand (5), Turkmenistan (1), Pakistan (1), Palestine (1), Philippines (8) | 119 | Vietnam (1), United Arab Emirates (1), India (1), Indonesia (1), Japan (2), China (3), Kazakhstan (1), Thailand (1), Philippines (1) | 12 | Vietnam (1), Uzbekistan (1), Japan (14), Kazakhstan (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), Thailand (1) | 19 | 30 countries |
| Americas | Mexico (1), United States (9), Brazil (3), Haiti (1), Argentina (1), Ecuador (1), El Salvador (1), Uruguay (1), Chile (2), Canada (2), Colombia (1), Cuba (1), Peru (1) | 25 | Mexico (1), United States (2), Brazil (1), Argentina (1), Canada (1) | 6 | United States (3), Brazil (1), Paraguay (1) | 5 | 14 countries |
| Oceania | Australia (2) | 2 | Australia (1) | 1 | New Zealand (1), Australia (1) | 2 | 2 countries |
| Subtotal | 208 institutes in 83 countries | 34 institutes in 30 countries | 31 institutes in 13 countries | ||||
| Grand total | 273 institutes in 89 countries |
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