The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will provide support to female marriage immigrants in their study of the Korean language, which is considered by many to be one of the biggest obstacles such women face in adapting to life in Korea.

This education plan consists of three types of programs including a Korean class available in cities and counties, a home-visit service, and an online education program provided in cooperation with the Korea Digital University. This year, about 32% of approximately 10,000 female marriage immigrants will receive intensive Korean language education through this service.

The main motivator behind these efforts is a recent study in which 34% of foreign wives married to Korean men cited ¡°language difficulties¡± as their most serious obstacle to adapting to life in Korea.

The Korean classes, which will be held in 61 locations designated by the cities and counties, will provide Korean language education to about 2,800 people this year. The total instruction time is 120 hours, and a playroom service for children will also be offered.

The curriculum for the program includes cultural experience programs, and the top 20% of students will be entitled to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean. Any female marriage immigrant who wants to learn Korean can access this free service by applying to the class located closest to her home.

In addition, a home-visit service, through which instructors will personally visit the homes of students, will be offered for women who have difficulties attending the group class due to travel distance. Students who wish to take this program should inquire at the Multi-cultural Family Center.

This five-month visit program will be provided by securing additional financial resources, and will be put in place through a separate plan starting in the second half of this year.

Finally, the online service, which is easily accessible, has been provided since September 2008 through an agreement between Gyeonggi Province and the Korea Digital University. As of early March, 4,900 people were using this service.

All immigrants can study Korean at home by accessing the homepage of Korea Digital University (http://e-campaign.kdu.edu).
Gyeonggi Province plans to assist female marriage immigrants in acquiring Korean language skills with the hope of facilitating their adjustment to life in Korea.