At 8:30 a.m., I walked into a classroom where I was the only man.

This was not a social experiment. It was my Korean language class.

Seven years ago, as a university student, I sat in a similar room at Korea University, struggling to introduce myself in broken sentences. Today, I have returned as a former corporate lawyer, having stepped away from a career defined by transactions, deadlines and long nights to study Korean full-time in Seoul.

The contrast is immediate. In my previous life, I advised on cross-border deals. Now, my most pressing daily challenge is whether I can correctly use Korean grammar. It is a humbling shift, one that has forced me to relearn what it means to be a beginner.

But what stood out to me was not the language.

As my classmates arrived, a pattern became clear. Out of 14 students, I was the only male. Last semester, there had been one other. This time, there was none.

Over time, I realized this was not unusual. The higher the level of the class, the fewer male students there seem to be. My teacher confirmed it without hesitation. Korean language classrooms, particularly at the advanced level, are overwhelmingly female.

At first glance, this may seem trivial. In reality, it reflects something deeper about how Korea is being engaged with globally.

Over the past decade, Korea’s cultural influence has expanded. Music, television, film and beauty have created a powerful entry point into Korean society. For many, particularly young women, this exposure develops into something more sustained. What begins with a drama or a song often becomes a commitment to learning the language itself.

At the same time, motivations in the classroom have shifted. When I first studied here, classes felt like a cross section of the world. There were students of all ages and backgrounds, from teenagers to retirees, learning purely out of curiosity. Today, the range feels narrower, but the intent is clearer. Many students are here with defined goals such as graduate study, career opportunities or long-term relocation.

Source: Korea Times News