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HISTORY Of Korean Helpers

Follow in the footsteps of Korean Helpers.

Korean Helpers!
  • The history of Korean Helpers goes hand in hand with the history of Kyung Hee University’s IIE.
  • This program connects Kyung Hee University students with foreign students taking Korean language courses at IIE to help them adjust to life in Korea.
  • In addition to the Regular and Intensive courses, Korean Helper recruitment and activities are also conducted for every other course, increasing student participation.
  • The demand for and supply of Korean Helpers has continued to grow, contributing to students satisfaction with IIE’s Korean language courses.
  • When the Korean language course was founded in October 1991 as a program for foreign exchange students of the International Exchange Committee, foreign students learning the Korean language were eager to interact with Korean students to enhance their Korean communication skills. To meet such needs, several Korean student volunteers were selected to conduct 1-on-1 Korean sessions with foreign students. This was the origin of Korean Helper activities.

    Since then, an increasing number of foreign students have expressed their desire interact with Korean students to enhance their Korean speaking skills. The Institute selected a pool of university student volunteers to conduct 1-on-1 Korean speaking sessions, and this was the start of the current Korean Helpers Program.

    As the number of foreign students studying the Korean language rapidly increased, so did the demand for Korean Helpers. Therefore, the program was standardized by developing recruitment and activity education programs for each semester.

    Since the Fall 1996 semester, Kyung Hee University has recognized the importance of volunteering, launching the “University and Social Service” class and recognizing Korean Helpers as an official volunteer program. Students were also able to earn credits for hours spent volunteering as a Korean Helper.

  • The Korea UNESCO Cultural Exchange Center Colloquium was held in May 1995 under the theme, “methods for implementing cultural exchange and solidarity in universities,” offering a valuable opportunity to discuss a variety of subjects, including support for foreign university students. The Kyung Hee University Korean Helpers program also took this opportunity to support foreign students by taking their activities beyond campus, presenting an excellent example of how to assist foreign students.

    Korean Helpers activities throughout the semester are recorded in a log, and some extraordinary Helpers take an extra step to record their activities in video or photo format. Volunteer activities of excellent Helpers are posted every semester on IIE’s social media accounts (YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram). It is a great way to promote the program to future Korean Helpers and students overseas dreaming of studying in Korea.

    In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced IIE to transition our Korean courses online, interactions between Korean Helpers and foreign students also moved online. While it would have been nice if they could have spent time together in person, communicating online also gives volunteers and students more freedom to meet anytime, anywhere to discuss their common interests. In this way, Kyung Hee University IIE’s Korean Helpers program has remained active.