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| "Learn! KOREAN with BTS" is an educational package that utilizes BTS's intellectual property to help children learn Korean. Courtesy of HYBE EDU |
By Dong Sun-hwa
HYBE EDU, an education technology unit of HYBE that manages K-pop juggernaut BTS, is set to develop a Korean language learning material for elementary and middle schools overseas, the company said Tuesday.
HYBE EDU inked a business agreement recently with the International Korean Education Foundation in Korea to make a supplementary textbook that will be used in Korean language classes at schools abroad. It is planning to utilize the intellectual property of BTS to create diverse educational content, which can help students learn the language and culture of Korea more effectively. The Ministry of Education will distribute the book starting next year.
"A distinctive edge of our content is its high-quality curriculum," said Choi Young-nam, general manager of HYBE EDU. "We can also motivate students by making use of BTS's intellectual property and diversifying the learning experience. In cooperation with the International Korean Education Foundation, we will come up with more creative and innovative ways to help students around the world immerse themselves in studying Korean."
So far, HYBE EDU, formerly known as Big Hit Edu, has showcased a wide array of educational content linked to BTS, such as "Learn! KOREAN with BTS" and "Learn! KOREAN with TinyTAN."
Released last year, "Learn! KOREAN with BTS" is an educational package consisting of videos, workbooks and flash cards among many other helpful items. HYBE EDU reconstructed BTS's content like "Run BTS!" ― the septet's variety show on Korean online portal Naver's sub-channel V Live, and online fan community Weverse ― and enabled students to learn Korean expressions used frequently by the singers as well as grammar.
HYBE EDU sold more than 300,000 of the language kits in 30 countries. Nine universities ― such as the University of Sheffield in the U.K., Middlebury College in the U.S., Ain Shams University in Egypt and Thang Long University in Vietnam ― adopted the kits for Korean language classes. Heo Yong, a professor of Korean language education at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, teamed up with the Korean Language Contents Institute (KOLCI) to develop a curriculum for the kit.
"Learn! KOREAN with TinyTAN," is HYBE EDU's latest kit featuring TinyTAN, the BTS-inspired animated characters created by HYBE's other subsidiary HYBE IP.
AS of 2020, some 1,700 primary and middle schools in 39 countries offer Korean language as regular courses, with nearly 140,000 students taking these courses, according to the Ministry of Education. Given that demand for Korean language education has been growing outside the country, the ministry announced its plan recently to expand the number of these schools to 2,000 by 2022.
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