By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
A Korean language test was held Saturday for the first time in the North African region.
A total of 122 students participated in the examination that took place at Ain Shams University in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The 180-minute exam consisted of vocabulary, grammar, writing and listening.
Egypt reportedly has three high-level educational institutes that offer Korean language courses. Ain Shams University, where the test took place last weekend, opened a Korean Department in 2005, the first independent department in the Middle East.
It's expected to bear its first alumni ― approximately 20 ― this year.
According to the Korea Foundation, Korean is also taught at universities in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Iran and Jordan as part of East Asian and language studies.
Kim Joo-hee, a full-time professor at Ain Sham University, was quoted as saying, ``It is a result of the interest that has surged in recent years. Sustaining the interest, the institute will initiate a post-graduate program starting this fall.''
Kim attributed the surge to the Korean cultural wave that hit the country in 2004.
In the midst of the hallyu (Korean wave) boom, ``Autumn Fairytale'' and ``Winter Sonata'' were aired, and ``My Lovely Sam-soon'' was shown last year.
Yonhap also reported that a large number of students registered for Korean language lessons offered by the Korean Cultural Center, an affiliate of the Korean Embassy in Egypt, this year.
Park Jae-yang, a Korean diplomat in Egypt, said, ``Not only cultural products, but also commercial commodities made by Korea, have given rise to a Korean language boom in Egypt.''
In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Korea Foundation has spearheaded the promotion of Korean language and Korean studies around the world.
It offers scholarships to intellectuals who wish to come to Korea to study Korean. It also trains Korean scholars and dispatches them overseas to teach, and hosts Korean studies forums annually in cooperation with Korean universities.