CAIRO (Yonhap) -- An increasing number of Egyptians are showing an interest in the Korean language after a state-owned television channel started to broadcast a language program taught by a South Korean professor, locals and Korean officials here said Thursday.
The beginners' language course is comprised of 20 lessons, with each playing twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays on an education channel owned by the Nile Television Network.
Oh Se-jong, a Korean language professor at the Cairo-based Ain Shams University, has taught the program since it launched at the beginning of last month.
"More than 500 people have already introduced the course on their Facebook accounts or started to follow it on Twitter," Oh said. "The producer in charge of the Korean language program has told me that it is popular."
The educational channel has an estimated 13 million viewers in Egypt, as well as viewers in other Arabic-speaking countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Libya, according to officials.
"I think most Egyptians who are interested in the Korean language watch the program," said Amina, a 35-year-old student of the language. "It's really interesting and easy to understand."
Officials at the South Korean Embassy in Cairo said they expect the TV course to help them spread popular Korean culture known as "Hallyu" across northern Africa and the Middle East.
Egyptian universities have started to teach Korean as a major, while applications for free language lessons at the embassy continue to pour in, they added.