How Hyundai’s Korean Language Training for Foreign Workers is Transforming the Manufacturing Sector

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Hyundai Motor Group is breaking down language barriers on the factory floor by partnering with the government to launch Korean-language training for foreign workers at its suppliers. The collaboration aims to prevent safety accidents and improve work efficiency; it targets structural problems in manufacturing rather than serving merely as a corporate social responsibility gesture.

On the 19th, at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Hyundai Motor Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the King Sejong Institute Foundation, and the K-Mobility Bridge Foundation to support Korean-language education for foreign workers in manufacturing. Attending the ceremony were Seong Kim, president overseeing strategic planning at Hyundai Motor Group; Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young; Jeon Woo-yong, chairman of the King Sejong Institute Foundation; and An Jung-gu, chairman of the K-Mobility Bridge Foundation.

The MOU covers roughly 1,300 foreign workers employed by 130 Hyundai Motor Group suppliers. Over three years, through 2028, the partners will develop Korean-language textbooks and a learning app tailored to manufacturing and deliver integrated online and offline training focused on job skills and safety. They will also establish an assessment system to measure learning outcomes.

Responsibilities are clearly divided. Hyundai Motor Group will design the program model, fund it, and lead efforts to scale the training content to the global manufacturing workforce. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will provide policy support and promote best practices. The King Sejong Institute Foundation will oversee content development and program operations, while the K-Mobility Bridge Foundation will recruit supplier partners and run on-site training.

This year, the program will be piloted with selected suppliers. After refining the curriculum, the partners plan to expand the program to domestic and overseas sites beginning in 2027. Hyundai Motor Group is also supporting production of an EBS program, Global Dads: A Long Search Season 2, which highlights the lives of foreign workers at its partner companies.

Seong Kim said, \”As foreign workers play an expanding role on the manufacturing floor, Korean-language education has become increasingly important. I hope this agreement will mark the start of positive change across the industry.\”