Unlocking Opportunities: Customized Korean Language Training for 1,300 Foreign Workers in Manufacturing

Translation resultCulture Ministry, Hyundai, Sejong Institute and K‑Mobility Foundation sign pact to provide job‑ and safety‑focused Korean lessons on manufacturing shop floors; program will prioritize about 1,300 foreign workers at 130 Hyundai suppliers over three years and expand content to other industries and overseas operationsThe government and private sector launched a new partnership to deliver practical, safety‑focused Korean language training to foreign manufacturing workers.On the 19th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi‑young) signed a memorandum of understanding at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul with Hyundai Motor Group (Sung Kim, President of Strategy & Planning), the Sejong Institute Foundation (Chair Jeon Woo‑yong) and the K‑Mobility Bridge Foundation (Chair Ahn Jung‑gu). The agreement is designed to close communication gaps on factory floors and to improve industrial safety and job adaptation for foreign employees.Minister Choi said the initiative responds to mounting challenges in manufacturing. “As foreign workers become an increasingly important part of our workforce—surpassing 1.1 million resident foreign workers in Korea—we still see communication breakdowns, inadequate understanding of safety rules and difficulties adapting to job duties. This pact matters because it brings government, public institutions, private companies and foundations together to address those problems. We expect it to improve foreign workers’ safety, communication and job comprehension, stabilize factory operations and boost productivity. By using the Sejong Institute’s global network, we also hope to spread workplace Korean education to overseas industrial sites and support Korean firms expanding abroad. I hope this agreement becomes a model for public‑private cooperation to solve social issues,” he said.Sung Kim called the initiative personally meaningful and pledged company support. “Having lived abroad, I know how much more rewarding school and work can be when you know the local language. As foreign workers play a bigger role in Korea, enabling them to learn Korean is important. For companies, language skills help workers become community members and ensure clear communication for safety. This program is important for both companies and individuals, and we will work to expand and deepen it,” he said.The program marks a shift from prior efforts that focused largely on overseas learners. It will strengthen Korean instruction for foreign residents working in Korea—especially manufacturing workers, who make up a large share of foreign employees but have received relatively little targeted training compared with sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions).Under the pact, the partners will:- Build a tailored Korean‑language training system aligned with manufacturing job requirements.- Jointly pilot a public‑private model for workplace Korean education.- Develop and distribute new job‑and‑safety‑centered Korean textbooks for the manufacturing sector, supplementing existing specialty materials for agriculture, fisheries and MICE.- Release the developed textbooks and content as public materials and coordinate with other ministries to extend the program across additional industries.Roles are divided among the partners. The Ministry will set policy and establish support structures for specialty Korean education. The Sejong Institute Foundation will lead content development and curriculum design. Hyundai Motor Group will plan the support model, fund implementation and strengthen links between domestic and overseas sites. The K‑Mobility Bridge Foundation will connect manufacturers to ensure on‑site training proceeds smoothly. Hyundai will provide funding, while specific annual support levels and execution methods will be decided separately.The Ministry plans a pilot this year at roughly 20 Hyundai partner firms operating in Korea. It will then expand the program over three years through 2028 to reach about 130 partner companies and roughly 1,300 foreign workers. The partners also intend to make the training materials publicly available and, in coordination with relevant ministries, broaden access to benefit more industrial workplaces.The Ministry noted that the effort establishes a workplace‑linked Korean education model beyond traditional school‑based programs. It plans to leverage the Sejong Institute’s network—252 sites across 87 countries—to promote Korean language instruction in global manufacturing settings.