In May, at the 2023 Middle East & Africa King Sejong Institute Workshop in Sharjah, UAE, the Sejong TalkPawon 25 Contest under the theme of “KSI Communicates with the World” was held. We interviewed Han Jung-jae, Operating Staff at KSI, Korean Cultural Center, Nigeria.

Good morning, Mr. Han Jung-jae. Can you tell us about yourself and how you feel about receiving the Excellence Prize in the Sejong TalkPawon 25 Contest?

Hello, I am Operating Staff Han Jung-jae, in charge of administrative support at KSI Korean Cultural Center Nigeria. It is an honor to have an interview in addition to the Excellence Prize. So many excellent works were submitted by KSIs around the world at the Middle East & Africa King Sejong Institute Workshop, so I was very happy to receive this unexpected prize. I would like this to be an opportunity for KSI KCC Nigeria to communicate more actively with KSI staff in Korea and operating staff and teachers in other countries.

What kind of place is the KSI you’re working for now? Please tell us the main age group of the learners, their characteristics, the reasons and goals for learning, as well as something about which you feel proud of your KSI.

KSI Nigeria opened in 2010, together with the Korean Cultural Center Nigeria, when it opened in Nigeria for the first time in Africa. The long history is the pride I have for it. Since it is a KSI connected to a Korean Cultural Center, the biggest advantage is that they have various KCC events in addition to the KSI programs. The KCC always has classes such as Taekwondo, K-Pop dance, singing, and traditional musical instruments, as well as Korean language courses.

Most of the learners at our KSI are women in their 20s and 30s. Many learners took interest in the Korean language with the influence of K-pop. And many of them want to be a GKS (Global Korea Scholarship) student or an employee at a Korean company in the country.

How long have you been working as an operating staff member at KSI Nigeria? I wonder what motivated you to work as an operating staff member and how your experience as an operating staff member affected you.

It's been almost a year since I started working as an operating staff member here. I still have a lot to learn.
To my understanding, at the cultural center, staff in charge of cultural events are usually in charge of tasks related to KSI. Originally, I was in charge of accounting and human resources; however, the president found out about my interest in Korean language education, such as Korean courses and the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean), and I am now in charge of KSI businesses. Seeing the students in this country who try to learn Korean despite various difficulties gives me positive energy.

Was there anything special or interesting while preparing for this contest? Tell us if there were any stories behind making the video for this contest.

Preparing for the contest was not easy. Since we don’t have instructors at the institute, it was difficult to make a video diary. If we had classes, I would have had more interesting situations and interviews in the video, but at the moment, dispatch of instructors is suspended due to security issues, etc. in the country.ss

However, I prepared for the contest with the facilities of the institute, textbooks, and past events, hoping to let people know more about KSI, the Korean Cultural Center of Nigeria, and it was an honor to be awarded for it. During the Middle East & Africa King Sejong Institute Workshop, many participants thought I was an instructor. I hope the security situation in Nigeria will get better soon and the KSI will be actively operated again.

Lastly, what is the goal you would like to achieve at KSI Nairobi? In addition, do you have any personal goals as a Korean language instructor?

The number one goal is the dissemination of the Korean language. Demand for Korean language education is rapidly increasing all over Nigeria, not only in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, but in the port cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Kano. Therefore, I would like to offer online classes to provide various opportunities for education to students who would like to take Korean language classes all over Nigeria. Furthermore, the Embassy in Nigeria is also in charge of Sierra Leone and Liberia. My personal goal is to spread the Korean language to other West African countries.