Han Seo-yeon speaks during an interview with the Hankook Ilbo at South-North Love School in Seoul’s Guro District, March 27. Photo by Kang Je-jin

“Now I can study on my own,” 10-year-old Han Seo-yeon said, beaming proudly.

A student at South-North Love School, an alternative school in Seoul’s Guro District, Han then opened a Korean language textbook and read aloud in a clear voice without hesitation. Her textbook page was filled with "red circles" marking right answers to many questions requiring comphrension of long passages correctly.

She still finds grammar bit tricky, but when it comes to writing simple sentences, she can do it with ease. As she explained how much her Hangeul had improved, a proud smile spread across her face.

Han is a child from an immigrant background who lived in China with her Chinese-Korean parents until she came to Korea last July. Back then, she could not read Hangeul, but thanks to Hangeul lessons at school and reading comprehension classes provided by the NGO Friends of Hope, she has now fully mastered the letters of the Korean alphabet. Her growing confidence among friends at school has been a bonus.

“I was sad and frustrated at first because I couldn’t read signs, textbooks or exam papers,” Han said.“Double final consonants are still a bit hard, but I’m happy that I can now read all the words.”

Park Mi-sook, a 56-year-old teacher at South-North Love School, said Han seemed withdrawn at first because she could not keep up with classes, but became increasingly bright and confident as she started learning Hangeul.

Han Seo-yeon shows a Hangeul literacy workbook. Courtesy of Kang Je-jin

Korea is considered a country that has effectively eradicated illiteracy, with its illiteracy rate below 1 percent and related statistical surveys discontinued. But as multicultural families increase, literacy gaps among children from migrant backgrounds — who often struggle to learn Hangeul at home — are emerging as a new social issue.

According to Ministry of Education data, the number of multicultural students attending elementary, middle and high schools nationwide reached 202,208 last year, accounting for 4 percent of all students. That was up 37 percent from 147,378 in 2020.

Source: Korea Times News